At the Beginning
by x-psychicfire-x
Summary: The Doctor had thought he had seen it all, but when the TARDIS accidentally materialises in 1997 Sunnydale, CA; he meets a truly remarkable but quite obviously impossible young woman named Buffy. What results is an adventure neither of them would truly forget. *ON HOLD. POSSIBLE REWRITE*
1. Sacrifice

**Hi! Welcome to my 10** **th** **Fanfiction story. This time round it is a crossover involving** _ **Doctor Who**_ **and** _ **Buffy: the Vampire Slayer.**_ **It will be a 10xBuffy and eventually, 11xBuffy** _ **.**_ **This chapter takes place during the later parts of the** _ **Buffy: the Vampire Slayer**_ **season one finale episode 'Prophecy Girl'.**

 **I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy: the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 ** _Doctor Who_ © Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson. _Buffy: the Vampire Slayer_** **Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions. Cheers xx**

* * *

 **SACRIFICE**

" _If heaven is on the way; we'll wrap the world around it."  
_ _ **~Bush: 'Letting the Cables Sleep' (The Science of Things [1999])**_

* * *

 **PROLOGUE  
(imagine the Tenth Doctor's voice reading this out)**

" _The night was calm and silent._

 _Not a soul was in sight, and something expected for any typical Californian town with its pastel facades that included their homes and superficial Southern Californian pleasantness revolving around the population. But in a town as evil as Sunnydale; appearances can be deceiving. The dead never rest in peace in this town, they raged. Every type of evil was attracted to the very core of the town; which was commonly called 'the Hellmouth' or as originally dubbed by the Spaniards who founded the town as 'Boca Del Inferno', the Mouth of Hell. Sunnydale – like any other Hellmouth – sucked evil in, exhaled it and expelled it._

 _But for as long as there had been 'Hellmouths', there is (and always will be) a defender. Buffy Summers: the Slayer; a solidary warrior bestowed with the task of maintaining order within the supernatural world, including taking down evils like vampires, demons and any matter of dark creatures in a 'kill or be killed' fight to the death…. hers. Slayers were known to be exclusively young females with the life expectancy of a bee after it stings. Their short lived lives were fierce and intense, and easily snuffed out if a vampire, demon or the likeminded had luck on their side."_

* * *

 **May, 1997.  
** **Sunnydale, California.**

Buffy Summers stepped down the street, heading for Sunnydale High School, decked out in a beautiful white dress her mother had brought her to wear to the dance at school. It was a simple dress: empire-lined and sleeveless with layers of gossamer fine white material that ended at her ankles, and on her feet were strappy white high heels that fastened securely around her ankle. Buffy had worn Angel's black duster over the top and fashioned her long blonde hair into a stylish updo. She hardly looked combat ready, but Buffy was determined that if she was to die this night, she would go with some of her dignity intact.

She didn't want to die, but she realised that running away would only stall the inevitable and she wanted to give evil and herself a fight to remember. The high school came into view, Buffy paused taking it all in. Would it hurt to die? Would it be quick? But most importantly, would she be able to defy destiny and live? The Slayer sighed and reluctantly took the path less travelled, and made her way to the Library where her Watcher was; still feverishly searching for a solution that didn't result in his Slayer's demise. Buffy was about to walk in when she suddenly heard voices, she paused and looked through the circular window of the swinging double door of the Library. Giles and Ms. Calendar were in the middle of a heated argument, presumably about the prophecy.

"Isaiah 11:6, which I dutifully looked up." The technopagan was explaining. Buffy frowned. _A bible reference?_ Giles's stressed out face frowned deeper still.

"'The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf, the lion and the fatling together, and the little child to lead them.'" He recited. Buffy's gave a small smile, understanding that the bible verse was meant to represent her and the Master; but what was this 'little child to lead them'?

Ms. Calendar scoffed.

"That's kinda warm and fuzzy for a message of doom." Giles agreed.

"Well, that depends where he's leading them to. Aurelius wrote of the Anointed One, 'The Slayer will not know him, and he will lead her into hell.'" Buffy silently made her way into the Library, trying not to bring attention to herself as she continued listening to the oblivious teachers.

"So Lucas thinks the Anointed is a kid." Ms. Calendar stated. Giles wanted to believe that that was false, but all signs pointed towards it.

"If the vampire that Buffy killed was in fact not the Anointed, then it may well be." Buffy could see the distress clearly on her watcher's face and part of her wanted to go over and comfort him in his obvious grief, but part of her also wasn't quite ready to forgive him for keeping this from her. Ms. Calendar apparently agreed.

"Well, then we need to warn her." She said, gathering up her things and preparing herself to do just that. But Giles shook his head, vehemently.

"I don't intend involving her at all." Giles stated, and Buffy frowned. _Oh no you're not. That will ruin our plans completely…_ She thought as Ms. Calendar gave Giles a shocked and confused look.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Buffy's not gonna face the Master. I am." He declared and Buffy chose that moment to speak up.

"No, you're not." She stated quietly and firmly. Both Giles and Ms. Calendar turned and faced her as Buffy approached. Buffy steeled herself, as she gathered the last dregs of information she needed before literally walking through the mouth of hell. "So, I'm looking for a kid, huh? And he'll lead me to the Master?" Giles began to panic and started to stride over to her.

"Buffy, I'm not gonna send you out there to die." He stated with a fierce determination. "Now, you were right. I-I've waded around in these old books for so long, I've forgotten what the real world is like." He started gathering up weapons. "I-it's time I found out." Buffy gave him a small, sad smile.

"You're still not going up against the Master." She stated. Giles ignored her.

"I've made up my mind." He strides past Buffy, and she put on her resolve face. She followed him.

"So have I." Giles spun on Buffy, tears threatening to burst from his eyes as his fear started taking him over. He knew that Buffy was the Slayer, but she was also first and foremost an innocent sixteen-year-old girl; whose life had just barely begun, and did not need to be cut off so prematurely. She still had much to learn about life, and much to experience.

"I made up my mine first!" He glared at her. "I'm older and wiser than you, and just … just do what you're told for once! Alright?" He demanded. Buffy shook her head stubbornly.

"That's not how it goes. I'm the Slayer." She finally accepted it. It was time; she just hoped that everything would turn out right in the end. If not, she was officially screwed.

"I don't care what the books say. I defy prophecy, and I am going. There's nothing you can say that will change my mind." Giles insisted. Buffy pretended to back down.

"I know." She turned and started to go, but then without warning throws a hard punch to Giles' face, which knocked him out and startled Ms. Calendar who scrambles to his side. Something glinted out the corner of Buffy's eye and she saw the silver cross that she had ripped from her neck in a fit of rage and fear when she had first learned that she was prophesied to die. Well, that was then. This was now. The blonde walked calmly over to the table where the necklace was placed and puts it back on. Ms. Calendar gently lifts Giles' head from the floor and gets it under her knees. She looked up at Buffy, who glances back solemnly. "When he wakes up tell him…" She hesitates. "I don't know. Think of something cool, tell him I said it." Buffy requests with a tight smile.

"You fight the Master, and you'll die." Ms. Calendar reminds Buffy. Buffy pauses, her back to her teacher.

"Maybe." Buffy picks up a crossbow and a quiver of arrows. "But I've got an ace up my sleeve I've still yet to play." Ms. Calendar frowns in confusion. "And just maybe, I'll take the Master with me." She turns and gives a reassuring smile before leaving the Library. Ms. Calendar studies Buffy, questioning what the Slayer meant by 'an ace up my sleeve I've yet to play'. Had she come up with a way to defeat the Master without dying? She turns her attention back to Giles, mulling over the possibility in her head.

* * *

While her death was pretty much a 'fixed point' as she had been told, Buffy was still having doubts about whether or not this plan of 'his' would actually work. She was terrified, but thankfully maintaining a brave face. As Buffy stepped outside of the school, she glanced around looking for a hint or a whisper of any other presence. Frowning, she walked a short distance still looking around when she came across a young boy.

Buffy froze, eying him with trepidation.

"Help me…" He pleaded, sounding scared. Buffy immediately saw right through that. The act was good, but not enough to fool the Slayer. She knew who he was and she lowered the crossbow in her hand and gave him a small smile.

"It's okay. I know who you are." Having been found out, the boy; now recognised as the Anointed One, drops the 'scared little boy' act and holds out his hand. Buffy immediately takes it, and he begins to lead her away to the Master.

Almost a moment after Buffy took the vampire child's hand, the Slayer instantly caught the comforting and very welcomed presence of someone she trusted with all her heart. A man who knew all too well the fate that had been unceremoniously and unwantedly bestowed upon her; because he had the same duty himself. A man she loved truly and irrevocably.

Buffy glanced over to the presence and glimpsed a tall, lanky but handsome young man with gravity defying dark brown hair, dressed in a brown suit with blue pinstripes, white converse hi-tops and a heavy looking light brown trench coat that had both his hands buried deep inside the pockets. However, as young as this man looked, he was anything but. This man was, in actual fact, a centuries old alien from a distant planet called Gallifrey.

He was a Time Lord; a man with the ability to change faces (not that Buffy knew that yet) with eyes so ancient and wise that have seen so much of time and space itself.

He knew what is, what was, what's to come, and also what should never come to fruition. And Buffy's death at the hands of the Master counted as one of those events that should NEVER come to fruition … if the Doctor had anything to say about it.

Buffy gave the Doctor a nod to acknowledge that he was there, and he answered with very tiny smile and a wink to reassure the very scared Slayer that everything would be alright.

The Doctor watched as the Anointed One lead his Slayer towards the place the Master was trapped within. He was so intent on watching where the duo were heading that he almost failed to acknowledge the presence of his other companion.

"What happens now, Doctor?" He turned his head and glanced briefly at Martha Jones, a pretty and very clever trainee doctor from London, England; who eyed Buffy with worried dark brown eyes. Martha was dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a fuchsia coloured spaghetti-strap top, burgundy leather jacket and black high heeled boots. Her black hair was tied back into a simple ponytail. The Doctor privately hoped that Martha was up for whatever they both were to come across. When he deemed it safe, the Doctor immediately grabbed Martha's hand and followed where he had seen Buffy and the vampire child disappear.

"Let's go. Quickly!" He urged, and the two of them sprinted away.

* * *

A short time later, Buffy found herself in the tunnels. She eyed her 'kidnapper' warily as he guides her inside, and Buffy raised the crossbow up; ready to launch at a moment's notice. The Anointed One leads Buffy down some stairs and into a round side tunnel. Both of them were pursued by the Doctor and Martha closely. Eventually, both Buffy and the Anointed One reach the entrance of the Master's lair. He stops, and Buffy looks down at him questioningly. He points down below, encouraging her to enter, before turning and making his way back the way he came.

Buffy allows him to go; he wasn't her target, and if she somehow survived this, he would be the next target on her never-ending list of things to kill. She turns and makes over way down to the floor below. Buffy takes stock of her surroundings: there are hundreds of candles burning everywhere. The Doctor and Martha arrive at the entrance, but make no move to walk in. They crouch instead next to the lip of the cave and observe.

"Welcome." Buffy froze, as does Martha whose eyes widen in fear. The Doctor stiffens and places a calming hand on Martha's shoulder, of which she is grateful for. The Master's voice bounces all around the room. Buffy straightens up, and gets a firmer grip on the crossbow in her hands.

"Thanks for having me." She replies crisply. The Master steps into the light, and Buffy turns to face him. Martha let's out a gasp when she sees the Master's gruesome features. Buffy sizes him up. "Y'know, you really oughta talk to your contractor. Looks like you got some water damage." Buffy observed, and the Doctor smirked. _That'a girl…_ He thought fondly. Trying to make light of a situation that could mean imminent death for herself.

The Master looked unimpressed.

"Oh, good. The feeble banter portion of the fight. Why don't we just cut to the…" Without warning, Buffy aims and let's fly a bolt in the direction of the Master. However, he uses his lightning fast reflexes to catch it in mid-flight right in front of him at chest level. The Doctor curses, as Buffy quickly reloads the bow. The Master examines the bolt with interest.

"Nice shot." He breaks the arrow in half like kindling and tosses it aside. "You're not going to kill me with that thing." He promises.

Buffy makes a face.

"Don't be so sure." The Master starts pacing the barrier of his entrapment like a tiger, eager for its next kill.

"You still don't understand your part in all this, do you?" The Master states, Buffy maintains her distance while keeping him within her sights. "You are not the hunter. You are the lamb." The Doctor bristled. _Not if I have anything to say about it…_ He quickly turns to Martha, having sensed the nearby presence of another vampire approaching. But he doesn't sense any ill-intent and dubs it safe to implement the next stage in his plan.

"Go, Martha! Get help." He urges her. Martha's eyes widened in alarm.

"I'm not abandoning you and Buffy. No way!" She protested, but the Doctor gripped her by the shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Martha, but you're going to have to. I need to distract the Master to give Buffy enough time to do what she has to do." The Doctor explained, impatiently. Martha still protested.

"But I want to help!" She whisper-shouted, struggling against the Doctor's iron grip, but he held fast.

"Exactly. That's what you are doing. Helping. And you're helping by getting help." The Doctor pulled a large wooden crucifix from one of his pockets and handed it to Martha, who stared at it and him with fear. She didn't want to leave him or Buffy, but knew she had no choice. She briefly hugged the Doctor who reciprocated then lightly pushed her off in the direction they came and focused upon Buffy and the Master.

Martha was slightly hurt and envious of the look of concern and deep love reflected in the Doctor's eyes, as he looked at the Slayer. Time and time again, she had wanted the same attention directed towards her from the Doctor; but it a pipe dream. The Doctor could only see Martha as a close friend, nothing more. It had taken a while for Martha to come to that conclusion, as she got to her feet and walked towards the entrance to the tunnel. With one last look at the Doctor, Martha steeled herself and walked back the way she came; looking for the help she, Buffy and the Doctor required.

* * *

Buffy walked slowly around, searching for the Master. He was really starting to freak her out; but the worst thing she could do was let him know that. She was counting on the Doctor to follow through with their plan, and she was wondering what was taking him so long. She gasps when she comes upon a dead and rotting body, but easily dismisses it as she continues her search. Buffy was getting annoyed by this stupid game of 'hide-and-seek', it reminded her uncomfortably of her second trip back in time with the Doctor...

"You know, for someone who's all powerful, you sure do like to hide." She taunted him, trying to get him to slip up and reveal himself. The Master chuckled darkly.

"I'm waiting for you. I want this moment to last." He replied succinctly. Buffy frowned with disgust.

"Well, I don't." She stated. After searching for a few minutes longer, the Master suddenly comes to stand right behind her.

"I understand." He whispers and Buffy turns around to face him as the Master knocks the crossbow out of her hands and grabs her by the neck. Buffy panics.

 _Doctor…_

She swings up with her arm, and knocks his hand away and starts to run. She almost makes it to where the Doctor is hiding, when the Master holds out his hand towards her and she freezes in her tracks, caught in his hypnotic powers. The Doctor saw his chance, he stands up and walks into view just as the Master starts to walk over to Buffy.

"Hey now, that's no way to treat a young woman!" The Doctor stated loudly, drawing the Master's attention, and Buffy instantly brightens. _Doctor! Took your time, much?_ The Doctor gazed at Buffy as though realising her irritation with him and winks. The Vampire King frowned at the interruption.

"Who are you? Are you so eager to die?" He demanded. The Doctor's jovial manner immediately shifted to dark, dangerous one that made every hair on Buffy's arm stand up on end.

"Don't you disrespect me, Heinrich. You know very well who I am." The Master's eyes widened, then he snarled; while Buffy blinked in shock.

"I'd say it was good to see you again, Doctor, but it would be a lie." He inspects the Time Lord from head to toe and sneers. "I see you've changed faces again." The Doctor winces when he notices Buffy's widened eyes, but he chose to pretend he hadn't seen.

"Several times since we last spoke." He agreed. "Only last time, you were not a vampire." He stated with pity in his eyes. The Master hated that.

"Spare me the pity reflected in your arrogant eyes, _Doctor_." He sneered. "Your pity is wasted here." He gestured around the sunken cavern they were currently standing in. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have something I need to address with the Slayer." He approached her, making slow twisting motions with his hand. The Doctor immediately produced his screwdriver and brandished it at the Master who raised an invisible eyebrow at the scientific instrument.

"I'm afraid, I can't allow that." The Doctor declared calmly, but his voice promised punishment and death if the Master should defy him. "This stops now." The Master paid no mind to the Doctor's threats.

"You have no power here, Time Lord." He comes up behind Buffy, and gently takes off her leather jacket; letting it fall to the ground. Buffy panted hard with fear and she looks at the Doctor with pleading eyes.

"Doctor…" Buffy whimpered.

"Everything will be okay, sweetheart. I promise you." The Doctor reassured her confidently. The Master snorted.

"Don't make promises that you can't keep." The Doctor came forward.

"Stop this!" The Vampire King eyed him.

"Try and stop me." He challenged the Doctor, who advanced without hesitation… and thudded against an invisible barrier. It seemed that the Powers that Be had spoken. Buffy's heart started to beat frantically as the Master laughed. The Doctor snarled and thudded helplessly against the barrier, trying to break through.

"Buffy! NO!" He yelled out desperately. Buffy was now completely at the Master's mercy.

"Save your breath." The Master told the Doctor dismissively before turning to the terrified Slayer. "And as for you, my dear…" He took his place behind Buffy and leaned in to whisper at her ear. "You tried. It was noble of you. You heard the prophecy that I was about to break free and you came to stop me. But prophecies are tricky creatures." He eyed the Doctor as he continued his musings. "They don't tell you everything." Buffy could feel his putrid breath on her cheek and she shuddered. "You're the one that sets me free!" He whispered. Her eyes widened. "If you hadn't come, I couldn't go." He gloated as he leaned in closer. "Think about that!" Both Buffy and the Doctor are frozen with fear, and the Doctor screams with frustration and scans the barrier with his screwdriver, searching for its weak point. But his attempts were useless as the Master merely waits a moment longer and then bends down and bites at the base of Buffy's neck.

"NO! PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU!" The Doctor pleaded. Buffy lets out a tiny cry of pain as the Master drinks a few sips and lets her go. Buffy turns her head and looks at the Doctor as she sinks to her knees.

"Buffy! Buffy, stay with me!" The Doctor urges her. The Master shivers in ecstasy.

"Oh, God! The power!" Buffy hovers on the brink of consciousness… "And by the way…" The Master couldn't resist making a parting comment. "I like your dress." He mocks her as Buffy falls forward, face down into a pool of water. The Doctor stares in horror, unable to go to her aid as the Master steps over to the edge of his confines and pushes against the field. He forces his hand through, and the confines break down in a burst of light and energy.

The Doctor makes an attempt to get to Buffy, but the Master backhands him sending the Doctor flying away from Buffy and careening towards a nearby wall where he connects with a pained grunt and collapses into a heap. Momentarily stunned, the Doctor watches as the Master starts up and out of his lair. Once recovered, the Doctor scrambles over to Buffy's side and pulls her free from the water.

"Buffy, sweetheart, open your eyes! Look at me! Look at me, please!" Buffy doesn't respond and the Doctor curses and lays her down on the floor and places his head on her chest, looking for a heartbeat. He detects none. Tears fall from his eyes as he leans his forehead against Buffy's, remembering when he had met this bright, beautiful, interesting and vivacious young woman…

* * *

 **A/N: To be continued in a later chapter. Can't reveal all in one chapter, can we? Be patient, how Buffy and the Doctor met will be in the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed this prologue, and please review with your thoughts. Till then ;)**


	2. Stranger In This Town

**Okay, boys and girls! This chapter is a memory that explains how Buffy and the Doctor met, and eventually how they stumbled upon Martha Jones. This will take place (eventually) during the events of 'Smith and Jones' with Buffy's presence.**

 **I will also let you know when it has returned to present day. AKA the events leading up to the prologue.**

 **I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **is © Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson.** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ **is © Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions. Cheers xx**

* * *

 **STRANGER IN THIS TOWN**

" _Feeling my way through the darkness. Guided by a beating heart. I can't tell where the journey will end, but I know where to start."  
_ _ **~Avicii: 'Wake Me Up' (True [2013])**_

* * *

No good story starts out without an explanation of how it began, eh? That would just be confusing for both the reader and characters involved. But then again, the characters aren't really real are they? Forget I said that…

 _"Uh… Doctor? You're digressing again…"_

Yes, thank you! I'm aware of that. Now, where was I? Oh yes, I remember! Are we sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin.

* * *

 **~TWO DAYS BEFORE THE PROLOGUE~**

It was a typical Friday night in the sleepy little town of Sunnydale, California. Everyone was winding down for the evening after a long and particularly busy day of working, learning and everything in between. Except for those who knew better. For them, this evening had just begun. Too much needed to be done, and so little time was given to them. Or more precisely … her; the Slayer. Buffy Summers in fact. By day, this young woman was a typical sixteen year old high school sophomore; getting through one moment to the next without creating turmoil in her social life and keeping her nose to the grindstone, just to keep her mother, Joyce Summers, and her highly suspicious and paranoid new principal, Snyder, none the wiser to what she really did. By night, well, Buffy was a skilful hunter, a champion and a bringer of hope in an otherwise despairing world. She was defender of the helpless. It was her duty to seek out and eliminate the threats in the deep, dark parts of the living world.

Now normally, the Doctor frowned upon on any sort of violence he saw; and avoided those who inflict it. But Buffy's destiny was one the Doctor had managed to turn a blind eye to when he first met her. The TARDIS materialised on a street corner, not too far away from the town's square. Almost immediately, the door of the bright blue St. John's ambulance box opened and the Doctor stepped out, looking about with interest.

"Right! Where are we then?" He called into the TARDIS, then stopped when he realised he was all alone. "Ah." The Doctor mumbled, disappointed, and wincing as he remembered that Rose wasn't with him anymore. Not even Donna Noble, the last person he expected to mysteriously appear in the TARDIS, declined his offer of a trip through time and space. Sighing, he closed the doors and started walking down the quiet, moon-drenched streets; hands in pockets of his brown trench coat. He was curious about why the old girl had brought him to a thoroughly ordinary Californian town. What was so special about it? He made his way into the moderately busy town's square; passing shops, cafés and a large cinema where locals darted about like worker ants; laughing, chatting, eating, drinking and in some circumstances (that made the Doctor cough awkwardly and move away very quickly) making out in door alcoves or making goo-goo eyes in cafés. It reminded him WAY too much of Rose and how happy they'd been before fate had been cruel enough to send her away from him to a Parallel Earth. But he was thankful at least, that Rose was trapped there with her mother and Mickey; and hopefully they were happy.

The Doctor stopped a couple of teenagers and they regarded him warily.

"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt your conversation. But could you tell me where I am?" The Doctor asked politely. They raised an eyebrow at the weird question.

"What rock have you been living under?" One of the teens wanted to know. The Doctor shrugged.

"You could say I'm new, still trying to find my way around." He explained. Both teens shrugged; assuming that once they told this dude where he was, he'd leave them alone.

"You're in Sunnydale, California." The Doctor's pleasant smile fell slightly, as he realised the seriousness of his situation. He forced himself to make his smile slightly brighter as not to offend his two helpers.

"Thank you. Enjoy your night." The Doctor walked away, leaving two confused teenagers behind. This was not good. Take two heaping spoonful's of badness and finish with a dollop of 'worse place imaginable' to illustrate how not good this really was. He needed to leave, and now. The Doctor wasted no time and started heading back to the TARDIS to leave when he suddenly heard sounds of a struggle coming from the cemetery he was hurrying past. Concerned, he followed the sounds and came upon a very unexpected, and impossible scene. A petite young girl was wailing on a man twice her size with both her fists, and the guy seemed to be retaliating rather violently in response.

Feeling the need to intervene, the Doctor started forward towards them … and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw something that went against everything he had known was possible.

* * *

Buffy released her frustrations on the latest vampire she had come across that night during her usual patrol. She was reflecting upon what had happened that day when Cordelia Chase had approached her and her friends to thank Buffy for saving her from Marcie Ross, a girl Cordelia and her cronies had bullied mercilessly and whom turned invisible when every student at Sunnydale High School basically ignored her. This was before Buffy transferred to Sunnydale from Hemery High back in L.A. Understandably, the loneliness and isolation had turned Marcie insane, and she decided to exact her revenge for all that she had suffered on Cordelia, her Cordettes, men they associated with, and anybody who stood in her way of her goal. But then, in typical Cordelia style, the snobbish and popular Miss Chase immediately reverted back to her old ways the second she was confronted by her boyfriend about why she was hanging around with these 'losers'. Xander, her best male friend, summed it up aptly:

" _Boy, where's an invisible girl when you really need one?"_

Buffy grunted as she flipped her vampire assailant over her shoulder, and while the vamp was dazed; slammed her stake home. Dusted. Sighing, Buffy got her feet and replaced her stake in a special holder hidden in her leather jacket before dusting herself off and continuing on with her patrol. She only had an hour left before she had to go home and study. _Yippee…_ She thought sarcastically.

A twig snapped, and Buffy froze in place. She reached out with her senses for any sign of danger. When she found nothing, Buffy shrugged and dismissed it as a nocturnal animal's nightly routine. What she wasn't expecting was the Doctor, who stepped out from behind the tree he was hiding behind, observing Buffy in her fight. Buffy felt like a deer-caught-in-headlights the second this man came into view.

 _Woah…_ It wasn't every day you stumble upon a man as handsome as him. _Angel probably qualifies…_ She thought. But Buffy hadn't been the Slayer for a year for nothing. Nothing is what it seems, so she gave Mr. Hotness an appraisal for obvious signs of something funky. _Tall, handsome, mysterious. Check. Check. Check. Weird fashion sense, not illegal just unfortunate; but also a sign that he might be more than he seems…_ Buffy checked out the Doctor's face. _Gravity-defying hair, a disarming smile? Hmm… but no fangs, or sinister golden eyes…_

Buffy frowned, but the man cleared the checklist of things not of the norm. But it was the eyes that struck Buffy as strange. They did not look like they belonged in a face as youthful as his. They were far too old. Suddenly, the man broke the silence.

* * *

"Hello, sorry to startle you. Just passing through." The Doctor was nervous. This girl was obviously stronger than she looked, and she looked like she knew what she was going with the vampire. He was less than interested what she could potentially do if she discovered he wasn't human. With his limited knowledge of the town of Sunnydale, he knew that the place practically crawled with the supernatural; and not all of them were the friendly, peaceful types that the Doctor associated with occasionally.

"Who are you?" Buffy asked cautiously. _Damn!_

"I'm the Doctor." He replied cheerfully, as he turned and continued walking towards where he had left the TARDIS. _Just keep walking, Doctor…_

"Doctor who?" Buffy asked. The Doctor stopped, his smile broadened as he straightened up and turned to give Buffy his full attention.

"Just the Doctor." He replied. Buffy sighed tiredly, and turned to leave.

"Whatever. Just stay safe, mister. The night isn't safe in this town." It wasn't Buffy's intention to be rude, but sometimes one had to be to get the point across. The Doctor couldn't help it, but this girl was fascinating to him and he was curious to learn more, or if she needed to be stopped for whatever reason.

"What's your name, then?" He asked, falling into step with Buffy who eyed him suspiciously, trying the figure out a way of giving him the slip before she led him into danger.

"Buffy Summers." She replied. The Doctor grinned.

"Buffy? What an unusual name, is it short for something?" He asked, stepping in front of her to get her full attention. Buffy resisted the urge to knock him out. This guy was starting to get annoying.

"No, it's not. Can I help you with something?" She asked, trying to be polite. The Doctor easily sidestepped the question.

"No, not really. Just out for a bit of night time stroll." He replied.

"In the cemetery?"

"I like to be spontaneous on my walks." The Doctor improvised. Buffy raised an eyebrow and moved around him, keeping her wits about her as she continued patrolling. Unfortunately, the Doctor followed.

"Maybe you should try being less spontaneous." Buffy suggested. The Doctor chuckled.

"And where's the fun in that?" He questioned. Buffy suddenly froze, grabbing the Doctor's attention. "Something wrong?"

"Shush!" Buffy ordered urgently. The Doctor immediately reverted into 'serious-mode' and obeyed. There was silence for several seconds before Buffy relaxed and spun on the Doctor, angrily. "Look, not to be rude or anything but—LOOK OUT!" Buffy roughly shoved the Doctor to the side and belted a surprised vampire in the face.

By the state of his torn and slightly muddied clothes, it looked like he was a newborn. The Doctor glanced up from where he was lying on the slightly damp grass and watched Buffy basically beat to death a vampire. She was such a small creature, it seemed laughably absurd. He got to his feet, and was suddenly seized by throat and thrown down again. _For crying out loud…_ The Doctor thought angrily before he got a good look at who had pushed him back down again. It was another vampire.

"Uh, hello." The Doctor greeted him, nervously. "Is there any chance we can talk about this?" The vampire merely smirked and the Doctor sighed. "No, I thought as much." The Doctor reached into his pocket and withdrew his sonic screwdriver, pointing it at the vampire and pressing down on the button. It gave a high pitched screeching noise that instantly caused the vampire to clamp his hands over his ears and stagger off to the side. He knew that it wouldn't hold off the vampire for long, but it bought him enough time to get to his feet so he could defend himself properly. Hopefully without any bloodshed.

"Doctor!" He glanced off to the side for a split second to see Buffy successfully beating down her vampire without any effort. However, the battle for his own life was just beginning. Precious seconds passed and the Doctor suddenly found himself trapped in a headlock and a foul smelling hand closed over his mouth.

"You smell strange for a human." The vampire muttered into his ear before licking his chops obscenely, disgusting the Doctor. "But I'm not picky, I'll take what I can get." Then before the Doctor could protest or fight in any way, the vampire lower his head and sank his fangs into the Doctor's neck. The Doctor instinctively screamed into the vampire's hand. _Death by vampire!? That's a rubbish way to die!_ The Doctor thought frantically. Then without warning, the Doctor found himself sprawled on the grass with a stinging pain in his neck.

His first thought was that Buffy had taken care of the vampire attacking her and was rescuing him. But then he heard the sound of retching, and he looked up to see the same vampire who had bitten him, now convulsing in pain; much to the Doctor's astonishment. He heard the _thwack_ of Buffy's stake slamming into her vampire's heart before she came jogging over, and stopped dead at the sight. Buffy looked from the vampire to the Doctor and back again, before she hurried over and pulled the Doctor to his feet. He winced and clapped a hand over his still steadily bleeding neck.

"What did you do?" Buffy asked, still staring at the dying vampire in amazement. The Doctor looked slightly offended.

"What did I do? _He_ attacked me." He protested. The vampire gave an agonising gurgle before he fell silent and promptly exploded into ashes as he died. Buffy looked mystified by what had just happened before remembering that the Doctor had been wounded and immediately looked concerned.

"Let me see." She asked, and the Doctor allowed her to pull back his hand from his wound. He was surprised that this young girl didn't flinch or at least turn green when she saw his wound. But he wondered why he wasn't surprised by this. Buffy hissed sympathetically. "It's not too deep, but I still think you might need stitches." She guessed. Then she gasped in surprise. Before her very eyes the two puncture marks still oozing blood from their orifices started closing over, leaving no scar or traces that there had been a wound there in the first place. And all of this happened when a mysterious golden energy appeared. Buffy backed away from him, looking afraid. "What are you?" She whispered. The Doctor straightened up, sober-faced. "You're obviously not a vampire." Buffy pointed out, and the Doctor shook his head. "Are you a demon?" The Doctor shook his head, and made a face.

"Please don't be insulting. I've met demons, and I'm most certainly not one." He told her. Buffy's face hardened.

"Then what are you?" The Doctor sighed and scratched the back of his head nervously.

"I'm a Time Lord." He finally admitted and Buffy frowned. She had never heard of any supernatural being called a Time Lord. Let alone one that sounded like Giles.

"A Time Lord." She parroted. He nodded solemnly. Buffy didn't like that expression, she preferred that the Doctor would suddenly burst out laughing and claim that this was all a very bad joke and reveal what he really was. At which point she would then pummel him for causing her all this grief. But to her dismay, none of that happened. "What's that? An alien?" She joked, but when he didn't join in Buffy's face dropped. "You're lying." The Doctor shook his head.

"I am not lying." He replied quietly.

"Prove it then." She demanded, panicking. The Doctor sighed and withdrew a stethoscope from one of his many pockets. "What do you need that for?" She scoffed. The Doctor gave her a hard look.

"Do you want proof or not?" He asked. Buffy fell silent as he beckoned her closer and took the stethoscope from him.

"What do you want me to do with this?" She asked. The Doctor gave her an exasperated look.

"Well, what do you normally do with a stethoscope?" He asked rhetorically. Buffy looked sheepish before she put the ear drums into her ears and placed the chest piece over his left heart. The Doctor smiled, discreetly breathing in her subtle perfume. "Now, what do you hear?" He asked gently, trying to make the tense Buffy relax.

"Your heart." She replied. "But it sounds weird." She commented. The Doctor nodded.

"Alright, now move it to the right side of my chest." Buffy looked up at him, confused. "Just trust me, Buffy." The Doctor urged her beseechingly. Buffy reluctantly followed his instructions and her eyes widened when she heard another heartbeat. She gasped. The Doctor took back the stethoscope from Buffy and placed it back into his pocket. "Of course, if you still need proof. I have something else to show you. If you want?" Buffy bit her bottom lip, before reluctantly following the Doctor.

"Where are you taking me?" She demanded. The Doctor grinned.

"Not far. Just over to my spaceship." Buffy made a face, thinking that he was making fun of her. But when she actually saw the Doctor stop before a big blue box, and lean against its double doors; Buffy seriously questioned her sanity.

"This is your spaceship?" She asked dubiously. The Doctor nodded.

"This is the TARDIS." He explained proudly. "Time and Relative Dimensions in Space." He straightened up and looked at Buffy seriously. "So? How about it?" He asked. Buffy looked confused.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Would you like to take a trip with me?" He asked. Buffy snorted. Was he for real? She approached the TARDIS and touched the blue wood, hesitantly.

"You can't be serious." She stated.

"I've never been clearer." The Doctor insisted, with amusement. Buffy smiled coyly at him, causing his hearts to skip a beat.

"It's kinda small, don't cha think?" She observed. The Doctor smirked, and wordlessly used his Yale key to unlock the door and gestured to Buffy to take a look. She glanced between him and the entrance before cautiously pushing the door open and stepping through. The Slayer expected nothing more than to see the opposite wall of the tiny blue box in front of her; but gasped audibly when she took in the inside. The Doctor chuckled and took a step back as Buffy tore out of the TARDIS and started running around the outside. "That is just too weird." She finally said, and the Doctor deflated slightly.

"Does that mean you don't want to come with me?" Buffy spun 'round and fixed him with a grin.

"Are you kidding? Just try and stop me. Willow would go insane about this. It's bigger on the inside." The Doctor mouthed the words 'bigger on the inside' at the same time as Buffy did before walking in and closing the door behind her.

"Really? I didn't notice." He replied casually as he peeled off his trench coat and tossed it over one of the coral like support beams holding up the TARDIS. "So who's Willow?" He asked as he came over to where Buffy was standing, examining the console.

"Willow's one of my best friends. She's one of the first friends I made when I transferred to Sunnydale." Buffy explained, suddenly going quiet. The Doctor wisely changed subject.

"So where would you like to go?" He asked, leaning on the TARDIS console and looking intently at Buffy. She blushed before she immediately began to hesitate.

"I'm actually not sure if this is a good idea. My mom would kill me and I don't want to worry my friends; and Giles would freak out if I suddenly skipped town without word." Buffy explained. "Not to mention, that I eventually have to go back to school on Monday." The Doctor nodded, agreeing with everything she was saying.

"Did I mention that the TARDIS travels through time?" He asked innocently. Buffy's eyes widened, then she grinned.

"What are we waiting for?" She exclaimed. The Doctor returned the same excited grin.

* * *

"By the way…" The Doctor began, as he danced around the console calculating their coordinates. It was decided by Buffy – as the newest passenger on board the TARDIS – to let the Doctor surprise her about where they should go. And the Doctor took to the request like a duck to water. "I forgot to ask: what is a Slayer?" He asked half-curious and half-disapproving. Buffy flushed. Then she began to speak the Slayer's manifesto; something that Giles seemed to enjoy saying out loud whenever the subject was brought up.

"'In every generation there is a chosen one." The Doctor stopped at the tone of Buffy's voice, and belatedly realised that this was a question most often asked; because the answer was so obviously memorised by heart. "She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.'" Buffy finished and avoided looking at the Doctor, whose face had gone stormy. He wasn't a genius for nothing. And he immediately translated the ominous manifesto, realising that Buffy was essentially a mercenary. But judging by the weariness, loneliness and stoicism he had seen in Buffy's lovely green eyes; it wasn't her choice. This time it was Buffy's turn to change topic, and for that the Doctor was grateful. However, they would be revisiting the topic at a later date. "So where are we going?" Buffy asked cheerfully. The Doctor adopted an enthusiastic expression that made her nervous.

"I thought we'd pay a trip to London in 2007." The Doctor explained. Buffy's face fell.

"We're going to the land of Tea and Tweed?" She asked, sounding unimpressed. The Doctor's face fell.

"What's wrong with that?" He wanted to know. Buffy tried and failed to get excited.

"I thought you said the TARDIS could travel through time?" She bitched, then looked up in realisation and turned to see the Doctor smirking at her knowingly. "Wait did you say 2007?" She asked, and when the Doctor nodded, her face perked up instantly. "Oh this I've gotta see." As the TARDIS came to a rough stop, sending the Slayer sprawling to the metal grating floor.

"Sorry!" The Doctor fretted when he saw her fall hard. But Buffy brushed aside the apology. She was made of sterner stuff and would at most, bruise. But it wouldn't be there for long. _Thank God for Slayer healing…_ She thought as got to her feet, with the Doctor's assistance.

"Hey, that means that I would be 26-years-old!" Buffy realised. The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Is that a problem?" He asked. Buffy looked at him strangely.

"No, why would it be?" Then she headed for the double doors, leaving the Doctor to look at her with bemusement. Shrugging, he intercepted Buffy before she had the opportunity to burst out of the TARDIS.

"Are you ready to see the future?" He asked. Buffy nodded. "Okay." He opened the door and gestured for Buffy to go first. Buffy exited without hesitation, and stepped into a London of the distant future. "Buffy, welcome to London, 2007. Early 21st Century and a massive progression in technology." He offered his arm to a gobsmacked Buffy. "Shall we?" He asked. Buffy looked at him and immediately looped her arm through his.

"Let's go!" The Doctor immediately started leading Buffy down a nearby street, pointing out all the relevant and interesting points of the city to her as they walked. Buffy's keen eyes were quick to pick up political propaganda posters, encouraging people to vote for somebody called 'Saxon'. She wasn't sure why, but she frowned; something seemed off about those posters but she dismissed it, thinking she was becoming paranoid. Eventually, Buffy paused to ask the question the Doctor had been waiting for her to ask. "So Doctor, why are we here? What so special about London in 2007?" The Doctor suddenly went serious and paused in front of a nearby hospital.

"Recently, I picked up signs of abnormal plasma coils attributing to this hospital." He explained, pointing towards the Royal Hope Hospital beside them. He noted that Buffy seemed uncomfortable in the hospital's presence, and filed her reaction away for future questioning.

"Plasma coils? Does it have anything to do with blood?" Buffy asked, hoping she didn't just sound stupid. On the contrary, the Doctor merely looked impressed with her logical thinking, despite the fact that it incorrect.

"Not at all. But it's a good guess." He smiled at her. Buffy was no fool, and realised that the Doctor was humouring her.

"So, plasma coils?" Buffy prodded him, wondering why they were there investigating them. The Doctor grinned enthusiastically, and Buffy rolled her eyes. _Science geek alert…_

"Well that what we're gonna find out. In a moment, I'm gonna fake abdominal pains and get myself checked into hospital." Buffy frowned at him.

"And what am I supposed to do? Sit and wait for you back in the TARDIS?" She asked flatly. The Doctor gave her a 'be serious' look.

"Of course not, Buffy. What do you take me for?" He scolded her. "I invited you to explore time and space, not to babysit the TARDIS while I investigate things. Besides she can take care of herself." He explained. Buffy blinked.

"Wait, what?" The Doctor ignored her.

"You're going to pose as my niece, and make sure that I'm being taken care of. Then what I want you to do is keep watch at the front entrance of the hospital. Keep a look out for anything abnormal. If you see something or get the feeling something isn't quite right. Come find me." Buffy looked a little disgruntled, but agreed. "Brilliant. Shall we get started?" The Doctor asked. Buffy immediately hesitated, and the Doctor decided now was the right time to question Buffy's wellbeing. "Are you alright?" He asked, concerned. Buffy shook her slowly. The Doctor gently took Buffy's arm and led her over to perch on a nearby brick wall. "What's wrong, Buffy?" She paused, trying to compose herself as unwanted memories from when she was eight came rushing back.

"I hate hospitals." Buffy stated. "When I was eight, my cousin Celia died in one back in Los Angeles. I was there when it happened." The Doctor immediately felt guilty. He placed his hand over Buffy's and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"I'm sorry. That must have been very hard for you." Buffy nodded. Nothing more was said, but eventually Buffy pushed away her uneasy feelings and stood up.

"Come on, we've got a hospital to stake out." The Doctor watched with concern before following her.

* * *

 **A/N: Let's stop here. Next chapter will be my spin on the** _ **Doctor Who**_ **episode 'Smith and Jones' with the inclusion of Buffy. I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter. This is the first time I've actually taken on a story and not lost track of the plot before even getting started. Let me know your thoughts on it. As always please review constructively and respectfully. Cheers guys, TTFN xx**


	3. This Is Why I Hate Hospitals, Doctor!

**It's time for another chapter starring our favourite alien, the Doctor! This chapter is basically the episode 'Smith and Jones' but with Buffy slotted in with Martha with the Doctor when he investigates what the hell is going on.**

 **I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson. _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ ****© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions. Cheers xx**

* * *

 **SEE? THIS IS WHY I HATE HOSPITALS, DOCTOR!**

" _The first time that it crossed my mind, I kept on pushing it aside…"  
_ _ **~Billie Piper: 'Something Deep Inside' (Something Deep Inside (Single) [2000])**_

* * *

 _Ten more minutes…_ Buffy thought grumpily, as she sat at a bench observing the crowd across the street from the Royal Hope Hospital. It was about nine in the morning, in London of all places. But Buffy thought that she would be doing something a little more exciting during her first trip through time and space, than sitting around waiting for… well, actually she wasn't entirely sure what the Doctor wanted her to find.

Something 'abnormal' could be just about any number of things.

 _Mental note: strangle the Doctor, then ask him to be a bit more specific next time…_ Buffy thought as she slumped down in her seat, and questioned why she had agreed to go with this Doctor (virtually a stranger) in the first place. She sighed. The answer to that particular question was obvious: because the Doctor was interesting. He was the epitome of the strange and the exciting, and it was exactly what Buffy had been seeking ever since she was called as the Slayer. _Plus the fact that he's handsome doesn't suck either…_ She thought impishly, remembering the Doctor's adorable little dopey grin.

Suddenly, Buffy's 'spidey-sense' started tingling and she sat bolt upright and glanced around. The Slayer within zeroed in on a bike messenger decked out in what Buffy thought was _way_ too much black. She frowned. _Geez, pick a colour. Any colour…_ He was moving fairly briskly, weaving in and out of the crowd; seemingly determined to reach his destination. So intent, that he bumped unapologetically into a pretty black girl walking in the same direction, and checking her... hold up? Was that an actual phone? _What the…?_

"Oi! Watch it, mate!" The girl protested, and 'he' (Buffy was pretty sure it was a 'he') turned and looked at her blankly. No hint of emotion whatsoever underneath that giant motorcycle helmet. Both Buffy and the girl looked at the messenger and felt strangely freaked. _There you are, Doctor. Here's your weirdness…_ Seeing enough, Buffy made her way back into the hated building and sought out the Doctor in amongst this labyrinth of sick, injured or (gulp) dying patients. Twenty minutes later, after getting lost a few times, Buffy finally found the Doctor who was sitting up in a hospital bed looking of all things, happy as a clam. The Slayer felt her eye twitching with irritation as she strode over to the Doctor's bedside and plopped herself down beside him in the visitor's chair.

"Hallo, Buffy." The Doctor greeted her brightly. "How's the weather outside?" He asked. Buffy ignored the question about the weather.

"I've found your 'something abnormal' Doctor." Buffy whispered to him.

The Doctor immediately went serious, and indicated for her to continue. Buffy explained all about how she got weird vibes from a bike messenger, decked out all in black. The Doctor's face went blank, questioning how bike messengers counted as 'abnormal' in Buffy's books. He was about to open his mouth and question her on this when he suddenly pasted on a cheerful smile and grabbed a hold of Buffy's hand. Startled, the Slayer could do nothing more but follow his move and glanced over to see what caused the Doctor to suddenly turn into a grinning moron. A tweed dressed surgeon with his group of student doctors was heading in their direction, and Buffy couldn't help but groan in annoyance. This particular doctor was 'greasy', apparently having a taste for younger women, and he always seemed to be flirting badly with Buffy with his eyes. Buffy noticed that the same girl she had seen outside the hospital entrance was among the group of student doctors; and she was looking at the Doctor with bemused interest. Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"Now then, Mr. Smith, a very good morning, and how are you today?" 'Dr. McSleeze' addressed the Doctor with exaggerated politeness. Buffy squirmed in her seat when she noticed him eyeing her off.

"Oh, not so bad." The Doctor improvised like a pro. Buffy was impressed. "Still a bit, y'know. Blehh." He replied. 'McSleeze' nodded.

"And I see you have a visitor." He noted, grinning at Buffy who forced a pleasant smile on her face. "Your daughter?" He questioned, hopefully. The Doctor squeezed Buffy's hand.

"Niece, actually. She's been so brave. Can't stand to see her dear old Uncle in such pain." Buffy said nothing, aiming for shy. But she could've sworn she saw a warning glint in the Doctor's eye directed towards 'McSleeze' when he had first looked at Buffy. She relaxed considerably as the surgeon got the message and rather quickly turned back to his students.

"John Smith, admitted yesterday with severe abdominal pains." He explained to them, before turning to the girl Buffy had had a chance encounter with. "Jones, why don't you see what you can find? Amaze me." He requested, rather arrogantly. Jones nodded and moved over to the Doctor's side, looking rather puzzled.

"Well, it wasn't very clever running around outside, was it?" She scolded the Doctor, who blinked back at her with confusion.

"Sorry?" He asked, and Buffy felt him tense his hand a little; and it was enough to make even Buffy – who was supernaturally strong – wince in pain. The Doctor, realising this, stroked the back of Buffy's hand with his thumb in apology. For an extremely thin alien, he was freakishly strong. Buffy smiled slightly, but continued observing the examination with a keen eye.

"On Chancellor Street, this morning." Jones explained. "You came up to me and took your tie off." The Doctor continued looking blank. But Buffy looked at him, accusingly. _When the hell did he go to Chancellor Street?_ The Doctor ignored her.

"Really? What did I do that for?" He asked, sounding very child-like. Jones flushed with embarrassment.

"I don't know, you just did." She replied, hesitantly. Buffy glanced between them. _Maybe she's mistaken?_ The Doctor laughed.

"Not me, I was here. I was in bed." He turned and looked at Buffy. "Wasn't I, love?" He asked Buffy, winking at her. Buffy smiled warmly, also an expert in lying as well.

"Yeah, I've been in and out a few times. He's either been asleep or watching TV the whole time." Buffy lied and the Doctor grinned, indicating his approval.

"You can ask the nurses." He added. However, it appeared Jones didn't buy their story.

"That's weird, cos it looked like you. Have you got a brother?" The Doctor's eyes went a little bit sad for a split second before he over-enthusiastically answered her question.

"Nope, not anymore. My brother – Buffy's father – died when she was little." Buffy bit down on her bottom lip. "Just me and her now!" He added, making yet another note to file in the 'questions to ask Buffy' folder in his brain when he noticed Buffy chewing on her bottom lip the moment her father was mentioned. McSleeze was growing impatient.

"As time passes and I grow ever more infirm and weary, Miss Jones…?" Jones immediately went back on point.

"Sorry, um. Right…"

It was then that Buffy realised what she intended to do, and started to panic. But the Doctor squeezed her hand yet again, indicating for her to calm down. _Calm down?! You're about to be exposed you silly alien!_ Buffy thought wildly as Jones put the stethoscope to the left side of the Doctor's chest. So far so good, but Buffy noticed the student doctor frown in a puzzlement and raise an eyebrow at the Doctor. He just gives her a sunny smile, totally innocent. Jones goes for broke and moves the stethoscope over to his right side. This time, her eyes widen in astonishment and she glances at the Doctor, earning a wink. McSleeze gives a long suffering sigh.

"I weep for future generations, but are you having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones?" He questions her. Jones takes a step back from the Doctor and shakes her head.

"Uh, I don't know. Stomach cramps?" She guesses, trying to cover up. McSleeze gives a condescending smile.

"That's a symptom, not a diagnosis. And you rather failed basic techniques by not consulting first with the patient's chart." He reaches for the Doctor's clipboard, on the end of the bed and drops it when he is unexpectedly electrocuted by the metal clip of the clipboard. He drops it on the bed.

"That happened to me this morning." Jones pointed out.

This announcement set off the rest of the interns, to the point that their mentor had to bring order to the chaos. Eventually, McSleeze led his group away from the Doctor's bed. Only Jones looked back at the Doctor and Buffy, looking intrigued. The Doctor beams at her, while Buffy simply smiles politely. Once she was out of sight, Buffy gives the Doctor an annoyed slap on the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" The Doctor whined and Buffy just shook her head exasperatedly.

"Babble much? You could've exposed yourself, Doctor!" She lectured him, then paused when she realised what she had just said. "Wait, that didn't come out right…" She glared playfully at the Doctor when he smirked suggestively at her. Buffy poked her tongue out at him and then turned her attention to the threatening rumble of storm clouds heading in their direction. "Now that's weird. It was a beautiful sunny day just a few seconds ago." Buffy glanced back over at the Doctor, whose playful smirk had disappeared and was replaced with a grave look.

"Yeah, weird." He was silent for several minutes before he got a 'lightbulb-over-the-head' expression and grabbed Buffy's face in his excitement. "Buffy Summers, you are a genius!" He declared before planting a great big wet kiss in the middle of her forehead. The Doctor released a very flustered Buffy, flung aside his thin hospital blanket and got out of bed. "Come on, we've got some exploring to do." He said, grabbing his robe and putting it on before grabbing Buffy's hand and dragging her in a random direction.

* * *

The Doctor and Buffy walked from hospital ward to hospital ward, trying to gather up other weird clues. Hell, anything that was potentially in the ballpark of plasma coils would be sufficient. But the further they travelled into the hospital, the deeper the frown on the Doctor's face got. Particularly, when it started to rain up.

"Doctor, look." Buffy prodded the Doctor's shoulder and pointed to a nearby window.

The Doctor followed her direction and immediately looked worried. That rang alarm bells in Buffy's head. They returned back to the Doctor's ward to plan what to do next. But before the Doctor could even open his mouth, there was a loud crack of thunder and lightning, and the whole hospital rocked on its foundations sending patients, visitors and staff members flying about like marionettes with their strings cut. Buffy was among the few that went flying and collided roughly with a nearby object.

"Buffy?! Are you okay?" Strong hands pulled her to her feet, and Buffy focused on the Doctor who was looking down at her with alarm.

"… We all fall down." Buffy quipped the last line of the 'ring-around-a-rosy' nursery rhyme. The Doctor would have cracked a smile at Buffy's witty comment, if the situation wasn't very serious. After making sure that Buffy was steady on her feet, the Doctor walked calmly towards the window and glanced out at the view. Buffy followed and her eyes widened in shock. "Oh, my God…" Buffy whispered. That crack of thunder and lightning did more than just rock the foundations … it somehow teleported the entire hospital to the Moon. No joke, Buffy could literally see North America from where she was standing! Buffy turned to question the Doctor on what the hell was going on when she realised he wasn't standing there beside her. "Doctor? Where did you go?" She ran to the entry of the ward, getting frantic. "Damnit, Doctor! Don't you leave me here by myself!" Buffy growled.

"Relax, Buffy. I'm still here, I'm just getting dressed." The Doctor's voice came from behind a nearby closed curtain.

Buffy relaxed, feeling sheepish. _Oh… oops!_ She felt like an idiot, and to escape the embarrassment she wondered back over to the window. Despite the obvious bad situation, Buffy couldn't help but marvel at the vastness of the Moon's surface. She had had no desire as a kid to become an astronaut, but the fact that she was standing here on the Moon of all places, basking in the 'Earthlight' was a once and a lifetime opportunity not extended to most people. And Buffy felt extremely privileged. _Willow would be so jealous!_ She thought devilishly.

"All right, now everyone, back to bed, we've got an emergency. But we'll sort it out, don't worry." A calm, soothing voice suddenly calls out, and then suddenly; Buffy wasn't the only person gazing out of the window at the beautiful moonscape. Buffy turned and saw Jones, of all people, standing there looking just as awed by the sight as she did, with another student doctor flanking her. But this chick was on the verge of hysteria, and Buffy was caught between sympathy and believing that she was behaving rather childishly.

"It's real, it's really … real." Then Jones frowned. "Hold on…" She goes to open the window, but her colleague stops her; tears streaming down her face.

"Don't! We'll lose all the air!"

Buffy and Jones gave her a look.

"I'm pretty sure we're not in any immediate danger." Buffy reassured her. Jones gave her an impressed smile.

"I agree. These windows aren't exactly airtight. If the air was gonna get sucked out, it would've happened straight away." She pointed out. Then she frowned. "But it didn't, so how come?" The screens are pulled back from around the bed the Doctor had been occupying, and revealed him fully dressed. Buffy grinned.

"Very good point!" The Doctor exclaimed, grinning back at Buffy in greeting; then focused upon Jones looking mildly intrigued by her deductions. "Brilliant, in fact, what was your name?" He asked. Jones blushed at the compliment.

"Martha." She replied.

Buffy felt a slight spike of jealousy, before she immediately smothered it. _Why should I be jealous of her?! I've got Angel … don't I?_ But even then, Buffy wasn't entirely confirmed on that. The Doctor nodded.

"And it was Jones, wasn't it?" Martha nodded. "Right then, Martha Jones, question is: how are we still breathing?" He glanced over at Buffy. "You too, Buffy, pitch in with your thoughts as well." Martha's friend wasn't helping the situation.

"We can't be." She whimpered and the Doctor gave her a disapproving look.

"But obviously, we are, so don't waste my time – Martha, what have we got, is there a balcony on this floor, or a verandah, or…?" Buffy piped up.

"I passed by a patient's lounge, every time I came back here to see you." She pointed out. The Doctor grinned at the Slayer with approval, before turning to Martha.

"Fancy going out, girls?" He asked, slightly flirty. Buffy smirked, and Martha seemed to melt.

"Okay." Martha agreed immediately.

"We might die." The Doctor pointed out, and Buffy snorted.

"We've all got to die eventually." Buffy pointed out, earning a slightly shocked expression from Martha at her frank answer. "Why shouldn't right now be any different?" Buffy immediately set off for the lounge, with Martha watching her uncertainly. Buffy's reply to his statement was everything the Doctor expected to hear from the young Slayer, who faced death every day. However, it didn't necessarily meant that he had to like hearing such morbid words coming from one so young.

"Good! Let's go." He took another look at Martha's friend and frowned. "Not her, she'd hold us up." And he took off after Buffy. Martha glanced briefly at her weepy friend before making a split decision and following them.

Martha fell into step beside the Doctor, who was scanning the crowds, looking for a glimpse of his wayward blonde friend. All around them, people were in varying degrees of panic. A woman was sitting on the floor sobbing, and several other patients ran past them screaming. The Doctor rolled his eyes, before finally locating Buffy standing in front of a couple of French doors, hesitating.

"Ah, there you are, Buffy." The Doctor came over and clapped a hand on Buffy's shoulder, drawing her attention towards him. "But please, don't run off next time. I'd hate for anything to happen to you." Buffy absently nodded, as all three of them approached the doors cautiously. The Doctor tests the handle, before he looks at Buffy and Martha. All three of them take in deep breath and the Doctor opens the door. There was nothing. No instantaneous rush of air out of the building. All three exhale, sighing with relief as they stepped out and approached the balcony.

Martha stared about with wonder.

"We've got air. How does that work?" She questioned, as Buffy went into automatic stealth-mode. It was routine for the Slayer to investigate when she came across unfamiliar territory, and it was one of the reasons why the Doctor chose her as a potential companion on board the TARDIS.

"Just be glad it does." The Doctor replied dryly, as Buffy came up beside him carrying a loose piece of mortar in her hands. She wordlessly held it up at the Doctor, who blinked down at it, questioning until Buffy mined throwing it, then his eyes lit up and he nodded at her with approval. Then Buffy noticed Martha looking somewhat concerned, and approached her.

"Hey, are you okay?" Martha turned and gave Buffy a watery smile as she nodded.

"I've got a party tonight. My brother's 21st." She explained, then her eyes widened in horror. "Oh, my mum's gonna be…" Martha cut herself, tears threatening in her eyes. Buffy hummed with sympathy.

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better. I'm worried about my mom, as well." Buffy admitted, which instantly made the Doctor feel guilty. Buffy turned and scowled at him, playfully. "Hey you, none of that. This was my choice, just as much as it was yours." She reminded him. The Doctor smiled, brightening up when Buffy came over and hugged his arm to reassure him that her presence here – despite the fact that it was currently on the Moon – was not a mistake. Martha frowned. Their banter was anything but what was expected of an uncle and niece. Not to mention their separate accents as well. She glanced at them suspiciously.

"That reminds me. If you two are Uncle and Niece, how come you sound American and he sounds British?" Buffy gulped and exchanged glances with the Doctor, who looked appalled at the very assumption that he sounded like a Brit. Buffy scowled at the Doctor for leaving the explaining to her.

"It's kinda complicated?" She began. Then the Doctor cut in and took over the conversation, ignoring Martha's question. The trainee doctor couldn't help but feel slightly hurt and the obvious dismissal.

"D'you want to go back in?" He asked both girls. Neither wanted to.

"How many people want to go to the Moon?" Martha asked seriously. "And yet here we are." The Doctor grinned.

"Standing in the earthlight." He mumbled earnestly. Buffy sighed.

"This is beautiful!" She breathed. Martha laughed incredulously.

"Oh, I agree. We can all die any minute, but it is definitely worth it." Martha stated. There was silence for several minutes before Martha suddenly asked the question on all their minds. "What d'you think happened?" The Doctor clicked his tongue with interest and bounced the question back at them, like a typical science teacher.

"What do you think?" Martha looked like she had obviously given it plenty of thought already, and Buffy practically lived and breathed the abnormal on a daily basis. But it was all fairly obvious who or what the culprit was.

"Extra-terrestrial." Martha eventually said, without any hesitation. The Doctor beamed causing Buffy to roll her eyes at him fondly. "It's gotta be. I dunno, a few years ago, that would've sounded mad…" _You have no idea…_ Buffy thought as she and the Doctor exchanged knowing glances. _Certainly nobody is going to believe me … if I choose to say anything of course…_ "But these days … that spaceship flying into Big Ben. Christmas. And those Cybermen things, that battle in the sky…" Buffy gave the Doctor a 'what the fuck' expression and the Doctor looked sheepish. That is until Martha mentioned 'Cybermen' and a battle in the sky; and the Doctor's face instantly clouded. Buffy was immediately concerned. She opened her mouth to comment, but the Doctor stopped her; shaking his head. The Slayer nodded, understanding that now wasn't the time. "I had a cousin, Adeola." The Doctor winced. "She worked at Canary Wharf. Never came home."

Martha sounded sad.

"I'm sorry." Buffy mumbled, sadly. Martha nodded gratefully.

"Yeah." The Doctor cleared his throat, obviously struggling himself with his own personal demons about that particular event.

"I was there, in the battle, it was…" He couldn't continue. Buffy felt helpless and out of her element. Like she was intruding on a private relationship with no chance of knowing or finding out what the topic was about. And she knew better than to ask. Martha put on a brave smile.

"I promise you, Mr. Smith, we'll find a way out." Martha turned to the Doctor and smiled reassuringly. "If we can travel to the Moon, then we can travel back, there's got to be a way." The Doctor put on his resolve face, and turned to Buffy who nodded. It was time to come clean.

"It's not Smith. That's not my real name." The Doctor confessed as he straightened up from his lean against the balcony. "And Buffy's not my niece." Martha gave Buffy a glance before raising an eyebrow.

"I kinda guessed. Who are you, then?" She asked.

"I'm the Doctor." He replied, turning to Buffy for her piece of mortar. She wordlessly handed it over to him. Martha grinned.

"Me too, if I ever pass my exams. What is it then, Dr. Smith?" The Doctor shook his head.

"Just the Doctor." He confirmed. Buffy giggled, earning a confused look from Martha.

"How d'you mean, just the Doctor?" Buffy waded in.

"It's just what he calls himself. I didn't understand it either when he first told me." Buffy told her.

"People just call you 'the Doctor'?" The Doctor looked slightly impatient with the same question being asked, so Buffy fielded the question.

"Yeah, pretty much. I'd just go along with it, if I was you." She suggested. Martha snorted, looking and sounding unimpressed.

"Well, I'm not. Far as I'm concerned you've got to earn that title." Martha certainly was stubborn and Buffy couldn't help but bite back.

"Why ask the question, if you're not going to accept the answer?" Buffy retorted and walked away, but she was intercepted by the Doctor who had a stern look on his face. Buffy looked away, but didn't continue walking. He strode over to Martha.

"Well, I'd better make a start in earning that title then." He commented and tossed the piece of mortar around in his hands, about to put Buffy's suggestion to the test. "Let's have a look, there must be some sort of…" He hurled the piece of mortar off the balcony and the three of them watched as it bounced off what appeared to be an air bubble of some kind, creating blue ripples that wobbled and faded. The Doctor yelled in triumph. "Forcefield. Keeping the air in." He announced, then turned and beamed at Buffy. "Nice catch, Buffy." He praised her, and Buffy preened. Despite not being very 'sciencey', Buffy was surprised that her brainstorm had paid off.

But then Martha pointed out something very important.

"But if that's … say, it's like a bubble, sealing us in. That means, this is all the air we've got." Buffy paled. "What happen when it runs out?" The Doctor looked worried.

"I vote we don't find out." Buffy stated gravely, from where she was sitting observing both of them. The Doctor nodded.

"Agreed. How many people in this hospital?" He asked Martha, urgently.

"I dunno, thousand?" Martha guessed.

"One thousand people, suffocating." The Doctor mumbled. Martha looked worried, and Buffy calculating. Her 'spidey senses' were going haywire; and she was itching to hit something.

"Why would anyone do that?" Martha asked. Suddenly, there was a loud _thrrrrummmm_ piercing the airless atmosphere, causing all of them to look around. The Doctor glanced up and his brown eyes narrowed.

"Ask 'em yourself. Heads up!" He pointed and both Martha and Buffy glanced up to see three spaceships flying overhead, all appearing from behind and above the Hospital roof.

To the three of them, the spaceships looked like tubes; but massive upright tubes that stayed upright always. They were approximately the size of office buildings, each studded with levels and lights, and all functional and very militarized. Buffy rushed up to the balcony to watch the ships, while Martha instinctively grabs onto the Doctor and they watch the ships descend half a mile away. At the base of the closest spaceship, a white panel slides open and a ramp slides down. The Doctor stiffened, recognising the figures that were marching out in a line. It was all very military, and they were all marching towards the Hospital.

"See? This is why I hate hospitals, Doctor." Buffy grumbled. The Doctor barely paid her any notice. Martha was stunned at what she was seeing.

"Aliens. That's … aliens. Real, proper aliens." Buffy didn't bother pointing out that Martha had been standing next to an actual 'alien' for about half-an-hour already. The Doctor's posture was rigid, as he calculated his next move.

"Judoon." He announced.

He cuts and runs off, with a bewildered Martha and steely-eyed Buffy rushing after him. They make their way to the Mezzanine level of the Hospital and creeped out to look down, unseen. From their hiding spot, they see platoons of Judoon moving through groups of people; scanning them with a blue light and rumbling 'human' and drawing Xs on the back of their hands.

"What are they doing?" Buffy questioned. But the Doctor, easily distracted, was focused on something else.

"Oh, look! Down there, you've got a little shop. I like a little shop." He grinned excitedly, and Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Doctor, focus." She said, firmly. The Doctor obeyed.

"Right, sorry."

"What are Judoon?" Martha asked, curiously. The Doctor glanced at them both.

"They're like police. Well, police-for-hire." He paused, thinking again. "More like interplanetary thugs, actually." He explained. Buffy made a face.

"Those rhino things are cops?"

"And they brought us to the Moon?" Martha added. The Doctor nodded.

"Neutral territory. According to Galactic Law, they've got no jurisdiction over the Earth. So they isolated us. That rain, and the lightning, that was them, using an H20 scoop." Buffy looked pained, and Martha looked mystified.

"What are you on about, Galactic Law?" The Doctor shifted positions to get a better viewpoint. "Where d'you get that from?" Both Buffy and Martha realised at the same time that the Doctor had moved out of earshot and both scrambled to him. Buffy grimaced as she continued watching the commotion downstairs.

"God, we must be in serious trouble if they went to so much trouble to bring us here." Buffy mused.

"Are we under arrest? For trespassing on the Moon or something?" Martha questioned. The Doctor shook his head, but grinned at Martha's theories. Buffy rolled her eyes. _Shall I get you two a room?_

"Wish it was that simple." The Doctor replied, glumly. "If they're making a catalogue, that means they're looking for something non-Human." Buffy's eyes widened and looked at the Doctor with worry and took his hand, squeezing it. He squeezed back. "Which is very bad news for me." He exchanged looks with Buffy, who started chewing on her bottom lip, fearing for the Doctor. Martha still didn't get it.

"Why?" Both the Doctor and Buffy just look at Martha, until she gets it. "No… you're kidding me." When neither denied it, Martha continued her excited babbling. "Don't be ridiculous." The Doctor continued studying her, trying to determine if she was likely to reject him because of his alien origins. Martha's incredulous smile disappeared. "Stop looking at me like that!" She insisted, feeling slightly nervous.

"Come on then." The Doctor gave Buffy's hand one last squeeze before releasing and heading back for the stairs. Both girls groaned with frustration before following him.

* * *

 **A/N: Stopping here, otherwise this chapter is going to get way too long. I don't want my readers to get bored halfway through the update. The second part of this chapter will be updated separately.**

 **As always, please review with your thoughts. Constructive and respectful, please. See you in the next update. TTFN xx**


	4. Because It's Always Gotta Be Blood

**Right guys, here's part two of my 'Buffy version' of 'Smith and Jones'. Enjoy xx**

 **I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson.** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ **© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions. Cheers xx**

* * *

" **BECAUSE IT'S ALWAYS GOTTA BE BLOOD…"**

" _Please let me take you, out of the darkness and into the light."  
_ _ **~Nickelback: 'Lullaby' (Here and Now [2011])**_

* * *

The Doctor and the girls run out of the stairwell, and turn down the corridor. Buffy absently noticed that many people had sunk into themselves in misery, huddled on the floor. But despite this, the three of them jump, hop and dodge over them running fast. The Doctor leads them to a Nurse's station in the central part of the corridor. It is a wider open space with a big counter/desk, and admin. Buffy, having spent hours training non-stop when she first became the Slayer, was able to keep with the sprinting Doctor without panting like a dog. But Martha wasn't as agile. The Doctor starts to sonic the computer when Martha comes running up, looking frantic.

"They've reached the third floor." The Doctor nods absently. Buffy gestures at the instrument in the Doctor's hand.

"What's that thing?" She asked, tensing at the screeching noise it was emitting when the Doctor pressed down on it.

"Sonic screwdriver." He replied, absently. Martha frowned at him, and Buffy resisted the urge to grab him and shake.

"Well, if you're not going to be serious…" Martha stated, amused. The Doctor looked wounded.

"It really is! It's a screwdriver!" He gestures insistently at the screwdriver. "And it's sonic! Look!" Buffy put her hand over his and gently pushed it down.

"Alright, I believe you." She reassured him, and the Doctor turned back to what he was doing. Martha decided to just go with whatever the Doctor said next, for the sake of peace.

"What else have you got? Laser spanner?" She asked sarcastically. The Doctor picked up the computer and flipped it over, so he could sonic it open. Buffy watched with interest.

"I did, but it was stolen by Emily Pankhurst." The Doctor mumbled. "That cheeky woman." Then he lost his temper and started thumping the computer with frustration. "What's wrong with this computer?!" He growled. "The Judoon must have locked it down." He guessed, and then stared off into space as he tried to figure out what to do next. "Judoon Platoon, upon the Moon."

"Nice." Buffy complimented him, and the Doctor looked at her questioningly. "You made a little rhyme, it was cute." The Doctor smiled and winked at her, seeing that she was trying to make him relax. Being stuck in a hospital with a bunch of 'Rhino cops' search for non-Human entities would make anybody stress out. Buffy's wry comment allowed the Doctor to collect his thoughts.

"I swear, we were just passing through – Buffy and I – we weren't looking for trouble, honestly. I just wanted to find something exciting for Buffy's first trip through time and space." The Doctor confessed, and Buffy was touched that he was genuinely worried for her … and now Martha it seems. "But I noticed plasma coils around the Hospital. That lightning show that we saw BEFORE we got stranded on the Moon, that's a plasma coil. It's been building for two days now. So I checked in, I thought something was going on inside." The Doctor slumped back looking tired. "But it turns out, the plasma coils were the Judoon up above." Martha nodded, understanding and not blaming him for their current predicament.

"But what are they looking for?" Buffy asked.

"Something that looks human, but isn't." The Doctor replied.

"So, you then. Or somebody like you." Martha guessed.

"Like me, yes, but not me." He corrected. Martha and Buffy nodded. So what were they to do next? Was the Doctor in real danger? How could they help conceal him? Then something suddenly occurred to Buffy.

"Have they got a photo of the perp?" She questioned. The Doctor thought briefly but then shook his head.

"If they do, the 'perp' is probably a shapeshifter." Well, that was a lot of help. Thanks Doc!

"Well, whatever it is. Can't you just leave the Judoon to find it?" Martha suggested hopefully. Once again, the Doctor unhelpfully shook his head.

"If they declare the Hospital guilty of harbouring a fugitive…" He paused, hesitating, trying word it properly without causing even more stress. "They'll sentence it to execution." He admitted reluctantly. Martha paled and Buffy cursed underneath her breath.

"All of us." Martha whispered.

"Oh, yes." The Doctor confirmed. "But if I can find this thing first…" Suddenly the entire contents of the computer was wiped clean. The Doctor snarled with frustration. "Oh, d'you see?! They're thick, Judoon are thick, they're so completely thick. They've wiped the records!" The Doctor slouched in his seat. "That's clever!" He drawled sarcastically.

"Care to share with the rest of the class?" Buffy quipped, earning an annoyed look from the Doctor.

"I don't know, say, any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms." The Doctor then grabbed the computer and started attacking it with the screwdriver, looking determined. "Maybe there's a back-up?" He muttered to himself as Buffy and Martha exchanged glances between them. Finally Martha got to her feet and started down the corridor.

"You keep working, I'll go and ask Mr. Stoker, he might know!" Buffy jogged after her.

"I'll come with you!" Buffy declared.

"Buffy?" The Slayer paused and glanced back at the Doctor who fixed her with a hard, but vulnerable look. "Please be careful." He urged, and Buffy smiled and nodded.

"I'm always careful, Doctor. Slayer, remember?" The Doctor smiled. Buffy then turned and charged off after Martha, leaving the Doctor to tinker around with the computer for information.

* * *

When Buffy finally caught up with a strangely quiet Martha, the student doctor led her towards a quieter corridor which led off the main stretch. There was not a soul around. The two of them hurry down the corridor and Martha knocked at her mentor's office door.

"Mr. Stoker…?"

Something didn't seem right to Buffy, but before she could stop Martha from entering, Martha hurried in … and immediately stopped dead.

"Martha? What's wrong?" Buffy demanded, and came in to investigate.

They saw two bike messengers standing behind Mr. Stoker (or as Buffy recognised as McSleeze)'s desk. Buffy notices two legs jutting out from behind the deck, and she cautiously creeps forward to see. She makes a grim find. The legs belonged to Mr. Stoker who was whiter than a sheet, almost grey; a sign that blood had been syphoned from the body. Buffy's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Buffy? Who is it?" Martha asked, afraid. Buffy didn't reply, except to slowly get to her feet and withdraw her stake from her jacket; believing that a vampire was currently feasting on the innocent doctor.

"Martha, get ready to run back to the Doctor." Buffy warns. Martha doesn't understand, but just as she opened her mouth to speak the culprit responsible for Mr. Stoker's death raised their head … and it is not who Buffy was expecting at all. She falters slightly when the same seemingly innocent little old lady she and the Doctor had noticed earlier that morning in one of the other hospital beds, rise up from behind the desk. Buffy's eyes widen as she takes her in. A terrible glint was in the old lady's eye, then a chilling smile spreads across her wrinkled face. Her lips were very red and the straw she was sucking on was a darker red. Even as Buffy watched, a drop of blood falls from the end of the straw. "What the hell?" Buffy exclaimed. She had no idea what to do.

"Kill them." The old woman orders, and immediately one of the bike messengers charged forward. Buffy didn't think, she just reacted on instinct.

"Martha, run!" Buffy yelled and kicked out at it, as Martha hesitated. Buffy turned and yelled at her angrily. "Go!" Buffy barely fazed the thing, so she tried a different kick. It staggered backwards and crashed into a nearby table. It wasn't much, but it bought her time to run. To Buffy, kicking the thug was like kicking a medicine ball like a football. Truly afraid, Buffy decided that the best course of action was the find the Doctor. He would know what to do.

* * *

Martha, who had a significant head start on Buffy, runs down the corridor and nearly collides with the Doctor who was ambling down the corridor, smiling.

"I restored the back-up." He announced enthusiastically. Martha could care less.

"We found her!" The Doctor's smile dropped.

"You did what? Where's Buffy?" He demanded with alarm when he realised Buffy hadn't been running with her. On cue, Buffy comes flying down the corridor at break neck speed, like the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels. The Doctor stares at her in astonishment, as Buffy grabs Martha's hand and keeps running.

"Don't just stand there, move it!" Buffy shouts back at the Doctor. The bike messenger strides out into the corridor, and the Doctor's eyes widened before charging down the corridor after Buffy and Martha. When he finally reaches them, he seizes Buffy's hand and charges off in a different direction.

"What did I just tell you, Buffy?" He scolds her. Buffy scowled, irritated that he was bringing up his warning to her when they were fleeing for their lives at this very moment.

"Escape first, bitch later." Buffy retorted.

The Doctor, Buffy and Martha run down the corridor, dodging and leaping over people. All three eventually drop hands to make it easier to escape. The bike messenger continues the pursuit, running fast, if not faster than who it was pursuing. The trio stop dead when they see a group of Judoon stomping up the stairs, so the Doctor charges through the Floor 5 door with Buffy and Martha hot on his heels. What greets them is a long, endless corridor; not a ward floor, but more of a technical area. It is deserted, empty and echoing.

The Doctor, Buffy and Martha run down the corridor like they're trapped in a nightmare. Behind them, the bike messenger bursts into Floor 5, and takes off down the corridor; running like a machine: a proper, lethal, focused run. They swing around a corner, and mentally groan as they continue down more long stretch corridors before the Doctor without warning grabs both Buffy and Martha and takes a sudden turn down a side-corridor. The Doctor leads the girls into a random room, and recognises it as an X-Ray room. He slams the door and sonics it shut before shoving both Buffy and Martha towards a sealed-off-staff area. Both Buffy and Martha look around in confusion and back at the Doctor who is bouncing around the room, fiddling with the X-Ray with his screwdriver.

"When I say now, press the button!" The Doctor ordered, distractedly. Martha looked at Buffy helplessly.

"We don't know which one!" Martha shouts back. The Doctor snaps his head up and growls back at them.

"Then find out!" He snaps.

Buffy, in a fit of desperation, scans the books and folders lining the shelves behind them and finds the owner's manual. She snatches it and places it down in front of Martha and herself and they flip through the pages, frantically. The bike messenger had found the X-Ray room and was starting to slam at the doors, but it discovers that it is locked. Undeterred, it stands back as far away as possible and then runs and hurls itself at the door creating a genuine, massive smack. Inside, the Doctor sonics the overhead camera of the X-Ray and pulls the moveable arm down his level and aims it at the door. The hinges on the door start to give way, just as the Doctor jams his sonic right into the camera and then faces the door, like he's brandishing a massive gun. Buffy and Martha finally figure out which button to push, and wait for the Doctor's signal. The door finally gives, and falls forward; landing with a boom.

"NOW!" hollers the Doctor and Buffy slams her hand down on the button.

Instantly, the X-Ray takes a black and white picture. It reveals the Doctor's skeleton, and also reveals, to the girls' horrified fascination that the bike messenger has no bones but is just a solid mass. The X-Ray machine powers down, and the bike messenger topples forward, stiff as a statue and lands with a sickening thud. Martha and Buffy are staring wide-eyed at the Doctor, who is silent and staring down at the still figure of the bike messenger. Both of them are still scared.

"What the hell just happened?" Buffy demands.

"Yeah, Doctor. What did you do?" Martha also wants to know. The Doctor doesn't look up at them as he replies.

"Increased the radiation by 5000%. Killed it dead." Buffy's eyes widened with horror, just as Martha's mouth dropped open.

"What about you? Won't it kill you?" The Slayer demanded, surprised by his recklessness.

"Naah, it's only Rontgen radiation." The Doctor explained. "I used to play with Rontgen bricks in the nursery." He realised that they were still waiting for a sign that it was okay to come out. "It's safe for you to come out, I've absorbed it all." Martha and Buffy slowly step out, staring at the Doctor, as the Doctor shakes and shudders into a little twitchy dance. "… all I need to do is expel it, say, if I concentrate and shift the radiation out of my body and into one spot – say, my left shoe." He starts to hop on his right foot, focusing on expelling the radiation into his left shoe. "Ooh! Ah! There we go, easy does it! Out, out, out, ooh, that itches, ow, ouch, hold on…" And the Doctor abruptly whips off his left shoe and tosses it and his sock into a yellow-plastic lined waste/sharps bin. "Done!" He exhales sharply.

"You're completely mad." Martha stated. The Doctor frowns with confusion, then realised he was still wearing one shoe.

"You're right, I look daft with one shoe." He takes off his other shoe and sock and bins them. "Barefoot on the moon!" He grins. Buffy and Martha couldn't believe what they had just saw.

"So what about that thing, where's he from, the Planet Zovirax?" Martha asked. The Doctor crouches down beside the bike messenger.

"Nope, this is just a slab. Or at least, they're called Slabs. Basic slave drones, d'you see…" The Doctor demonstrates, by squeezing its arm. It barely gave. "Solid leather, all the way through." He pulled a revolted face. "Someone's got one hell of a fetish." Buffy goes over to the dead 'slab' and examines it to determine the best way to take it down; since there was still an active one out there, presumably with that scary little old lady with an appetite for blood.

"Buffy, what are you doing?" Martha asked. Buffy glanced up at her briefly, then at the Doctor who had turned towards her the second Martha called out her name.

"Determining the best way to kill this drone." Buffy replied succinctly. Martha frowned.

"What for? It's already dead." Martha pointed out. Buffy nodded, and pulled free her stake; testing its sharpness against her finger.

"Yeah, but you forget. There's another out there, remember?" Martha's eyes widened in realisation.

"Yeah. Doctor, it was that woman, Miss Finnegan. It was working for her." The Doctor removes his sonic from the X-Ray machine and whimpers when he sees its destroyed condition.

"My sonic screwdriver!" He moaned, holding it up. It was crispy at one end. Martha tried again, as Buffy deliberated next to the dead slab.

"She was one of the patients, but… Mr. Stoker, she killed him." Martha said, sadly. The Doctor wasn't listening.

"It burnt out the sonic screwdriver!" He complained. Buffy rolled her eyes.

"She had this straw, like some sort of vampire." Martha continued. Buffy shuddered, making her all the more determined to discover the slab's potential weakness.

"Ugh, don't remind me. And I thought, watching a vampire drinking blood was gross. Watching that creepy old lady sucking blood through a straw, freaked me out big time." Buffy stated, ignoring the fact that the Doctor was still mourning the loss of his sonic.

"I love my sonic screwdriver!" Buffy lost her patience.

"Doctor!" He tossed his useless sonic over his shoulder and gave the two girls his full attention.

"Sorry. You were saying?" The Doctor nodded to Martha who shook her head in exasperation.

"Miss Finnegan is the alien. She was drinking Mr. Stoker's blood." The Doctor frowned.

"Funny time to take a snack, you'd think she'd be hiding. Unless…" Then his face jerked in realisation. "No! Yes! That's it!" He yelled.

"What's it?" asked Buffy, looking confused. The Doctor ignored her, still trying to come up with an explanation.

"Wait a minute … yes! Shape-changer, internal shape-changer!" He turned towards both Buffy and Martha. "She wasn't drinking blood, she was _assimilating_ it!" Buffy plunged down her stake deep into the slab like she would a vampire; and shocking both the Doctor and Martha in the process.

"What are you doing?" Martha demanded, as the Doctor stared at Buffy with confusion.

"Improvising. Don't exactly have a large amount of radiation lying around as a weapon, now do I?" The Doctor considered this and then shrugged.

"Good point. Good thinking." He helped Buffy to her feet, then started pacing the room. "If she can assimilate Mr. Stoker's blood, she can mimic the biology. She'll register as Human!" Buffy and Martha exchanged panicked looks between them.

"So what do we do now?" Buffy asked.

"We've got to find her, and show the Judoon." The Doctor explained. "Come on!" He takes off down the corridor, followed closely by Buffy and Martha.

* * *

A short time later, in one of the hospital's corridors; the Doctor, Buffy and Martha hid from view behind a food trolley, crouching down. They were watching the second slab casing the joint and presumably searching for them. They were extremely tense, even when the slab walked away. They learned from the last time, how unpredictable they were when they narrowly managed to take down the first slab.

"That's always the thing with slabs. Travelling in pairs." The Doctor whispered, eying the retreating slab with distaste.

"And what about you?" Martha asked.

"What about me?"

"Haven't you got back-up?" Martha inquired. "You must have a partner or something." Buffy raised her right hand.

"Right here."

"No. Absolutely not." The Doctor said, firmly. Buffy looked at him aghast. "I will not put you in danger." Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"What do you think we're in at the moment?" She pointed out. The Doctor stubbornly refused to answer; but Buffy knew that the Doctor standing by what he had said. _Like hell…_

"Doctor, I didn't come away with you in that TARDIS, just for you to coddle and shield me. I can take care of myself, remember?"

"I'm not taking the risk." Buffy was silent as she studied the suddenly tense Doctor, as he kept watch for any additional danger.

"What aren't you telling me, Doctor? Why are you so protective of me?" Buffy was suspicious. The Doctor scowled at both Buffy and Martha, who was taken aback at the pain and frustration she could see within his brown eyes.

"Humans! We're stuck on the Moon, running out of air, with Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal; and you're asking personal questions!?" Martha frowned at the Doctor's overreaction to Buffy's simple question. "Come on." Buffy's frown deepened at the deliberate brush off, but she did notice that he had clenched his hands so tight into fists that his knuckles turned white. It looked like he was stopping himself from doing something. The Doctor rose up from his crouch, being extra cautious, before stepping out. Martha and Buffy following, a beat behind.

Martha snorted in disbelief.

"Oh, I like that, 'Humans'! I'm still not convinced that you're an alien." They stepped out and thudded right into three Judoon. They froze, and the lead Judoon held up his blue light and shines it on the Doctor's forehead. But unlike the humans, it reacted differently on the Doctor. The Judoon growled.

"Non-Human!" Martha's eyes widened in shock.

"Oh, my God, you really are!"

The Doctor grabbed Buffy's hand. The Slayer instinctively sought out Martha's just as the Doctor turned tail and took off, dragging the two girls along with him. The Judoon remain where they were and lift up their guns. They aimed and sent out three streams of vicious red beams from the barrels of their guns. The Doctor, Buffy and Martha duck left onto a stairwell, as the beams sail past them, just barely missing and causing an explosion at the far end of the corridor, where the beams impacted. The Judoon stomped in pursuit, although at a more sedate pace because of their size and muscle capacity. This makes the three of them much faster. The Doctor, Buffy and Martha run up the staircase, desperately trying to avoid getting caught. They reach Floor 6 and charge through, with the Judoon charging through on a steady incline.

* * *

The three of them managed to reach a ward filled with people sitting against the walls of the corridor, all of them with X's marked on the back of their hands and lots of them clinging for dear life to oxygen bottles. Now that Buffy saw this, she did notice how thin the air was getting. There was also no sign of any Judoon.

"They've done this floor." The Doctor observed. "Come on." They continue to run down the corridor, dodging people as they went. Martha stops to crouch by her friend the Doctor decided to leave behind; believing she would slow them down. She eyes the patient she is helping with concern.

"How much oxygen is there?" Martha asks. Her friend shook her head.

"Not enough for all these people, we're gonna run out." The Doctor looked very concerned. He pulled both Buffy and Martha aside.

"How d'you feel, are you alright?" He whispered. Martha smiles at him, while Buffy nods and glancing around at the weakening patients with concern.

"Just running on adrenalin." Martha admitted. The Doctor gave a weak smile back.

"Welcome to my world."

"What about the Judoon?" Martha asked, concerned, even though it was the Judoon who were responsible for stranding them there on the Moon. The Doctor was impressed.

"Great big lung reserves, it's not gonna slow them down." He reassured her. "Where's Mr. Stoker's office?"

"This way." Martha turned to lead the Doctor and Buffy back to the scene of the crime. They immediately start running. When the reach Mr. Stoker's office, Martha scans the room for any sign of the old lady who was killing her mentor. Buffy frowned too, confused, but not altogether surprised. "She's gone. She was right here…" The Doctor's face was grave as he goes to examine the body. The late Mr. Stoker was wide-eyed in death, with a pin-prick of blood on his neck as the only evidence that showed he had been killed.

"Drained him dry. Every last drop." The Doctor was angry that an innocent life had been robbed of this man … despite how much he had flirted inappropriately with Buffy. He examined the pin-prick of blood on Mr. Stoker's neck. And made a face. "I was right, she's a Plasmavore." Buffy looked up at him with interest. She wondered if Plasmavores were any different to vampires. Martha frowned.

"What's she doing on Earth?"

"Hiding, on the run, like Ronald Biggs in Rio de Janeiro." He stood up, looking deep in thought. "But what's she doing now? She's still not safe, the Judoon could execute us all." The Doctor takes off for the door. "Come on!" But Buffy grabs on to his arm, drawing his attention.

"Give us a minute." Buffy indicated to Martha who kneels down by Mr. Stoker and respectfully closes his eyes. The Doctor nodded, understanding. He was still learning about human customs; and he was pleased that Buffy and Martha were showing him. Even if it was inadvertently.

"Let's go." Martha said as she headed for the door, with Buffy following. The Doctor remained behind for a beat, staring sadly.

"Doctor?" He turned. Buffy had remained behind, staring at the Doctor with concern. "Are you okay?" The Doctor nodded.

"I will be." He comes over and grabs Buffy's hand and they take off running, meeting Martha halfway down the corridor with the Doctor thinking fast about their next move. "I need to think. If I was a wanted Plasmavore, surrounded by police, what would I do?"

Buffy was distracted by lights flashing brightly from a nearby corridor. She frowned.

"Doctor…"

"Not just now, Buffy. Sorry." The Doctor answered, hastily. But Buffy was persistent.

"No, Doctor. Listen to me." The Doctor was about to tell Buffy off again, when he saw the calculating expression on her face, and stopped himself in time.

"What is it?" Martha asked.

"I'm getting strange vibes coming from down this corridor. Should we be worried?" The Doctor paused and scanned the corridor she indicated before zeroing in on something.

"Uh oh…"

"What?" Both girls said. The Doctor indicated to some signs at the far end of the corridor directing them to the MRI department. He grinned triumphantly. "She's as clever as me. Almost." The Doctor was about to take off down the corridor Buffy had pointed out when there was a loud crash coming from the opposite direction. They look around for the source, which causes the Doctor's eyes to widen and for Buffy to curse. Judoon were stomping down the corridor, and the people curled up on the hospital floor; looking pale and exhausted, tried their best to avoid them as much as they could in their weakened, oxygen deprived states.

"Find the Non-Human! Execute!" The Judoon captain barked. The Doctor had to act fast if he wanted to intercept and hopefully stop the Plasmavore in her tracks. He had one idea, but was hesitant to act upon it. Which girl would he choose? But the Doctor knew he only had seconds to decide before the Judoon appeared to execute him. So he went with his gut instincts. The Doctor faces a confused Buffy, with an alert Martha looking on.

"Buffy. Martha, I need time." Martha nodded.

"Okay, what do you need us to do?"

"Stay here. You both need to hold them up." He explained. Buffy frowned.

"How do we do that?" The Doctor hesitated.

"Just believe me when I say that it could save a thousand lives." He grabs a hold of Buffy's face, causing the girl's eyes to widen. "Forgive me for this." Then he leans in and deeply kisses Buffy, who stiffens in surprise but then instinctively relaxes into it and returns the kiss. This time it was the Doctor's turn to stiffen in surprise, and Martha wasn't really sure where to look. The kiss lasts no more than about three seconds before he pulls away and leans his forehead against the Slayer's. "Be safe." Then he kisses her forehead and runs off towards the MRI department. Buffy is slightly dazed, but the smile on her face betrays how much she enjoyed it.

"You're forgiven." She mumbles, looking after him and questioning to herself why kissing the Doctor had felt so much better than kissing Angel. Both she and Martha stood in the centre of the corridor, bravely waiting for the Judoon to appear. When they did, they came charging towards them. Martha took point.

"Now listen, we know who you're looking for, and she's this woman. She calls herself Florence." The Judoon captain ignores her and holds up his blue light, scanning her forehead. It makes the same sound as before. He picks up her hand.

"Human." And draws a large black X on the back of her hand before moving on to Buffy, who fixes him with steely eyes as he scans her with the blue light. The device makes the same _vip-vip-vip_ noise as before. "Human…" But he cuts off when the device makes an off-key _vip-vip-vip-vrooOOOooo_ sound. "Wait! Partial Non-Human!" The Judoon immediately raises their guns on Buffy, who barely flinches. But Martha is scared. The captain shines the blue light on Buffy's lips and it makes the same sound as before. "Non-Human element confirmed! Authorise full scan!" The captain then roughly shoves Buffy up against the wall, while all the Judoon cluster around and shine their testing devices on her. "What are you? _What are you?_ " He demands. Buffy remains defiant, realising that the Doctor had kissed her to leave traces of his DNA in her system, so that it would confuse the Judoon. Martha tries to intervene.

"Hey, leave her alone!" She protests. The Judoon pay her no mind. After a few confusing minutes, the Judoon eventually draw an X on Buffy's hand, but not before Buffy started sassing them when they refused to see reason at first.

"Confirm: Human. Traces of facial contact with Non-Human." The Captain turns to the others. "Continue the search." He orders. As the other Judoon stomp away – walking in the direction of the MRI department – the Captain hands Buffy a laminated sheet of A4 paper. She frowns down at it. "You will need this." Buffy looks at him strangely.

"What's this for?"

"Compensation." Was all he said before stomping off after his platoon. Martha sidles up to Buffy and examines the 'compensation' before both girls, shrug and hurry off after the Judoon; praying they had given the Doctor enough time.

* * *

Florence, the old lady whom Buffy and Martha had seen killing Mr. Stoker, was currently feasting on the Doctor's blood, as he is being restrained by the second Slab. Lethal bolts of lightning crackle threateningly from the MRI machine behind them. But Florence pays it no mind, as she is so intent on remaining hidden from the Judoon. The Doctor is dying, and his eyes start drifting shut just as the Judoon burst into the room with Buffy and Martha lagging behind, both struggling to breathe because of the lack of oxygen remaining. The slab immediately drops the Doctor's lifeless body to the ground and Florence puts away her straw, in time to face the Judoon.

"Now, see what you've done?" She scolds the Judoon captain, who stares blankly at her. "This poor man just died of fright."

"Scan him!" The Judoon captain orders. The Judoon hold out their devices and point them at the Doctor's body. Both Buffy and Martha, look around the Judoon and react with horror when they see the Doctor's body lying on the cold linoleum floor.

"No!" Buffy cries out in anguish, then glares hatefully at Florence.

"Confirmation: deceased."

"No, but he can't be. Let me through, let me see him!" Martha struggles, but the Judoon stop her from going in.

"Case closed." The Judoon turn to leave, missing the triumphant smirk on Florence's face. But Buffy and Martha see, and both are furious.

"But it was her! She killed him!" Martha insisted, wild and desperate as Buffy finally managed to break free and scrambled to the Doctor's side, trying to revive him; tears threatening in her eyes. "She did it, she murdered him." Martha pointed her finger at Florence, who faked an insulted expression.

"Wake up, you idiot!" Buffy whisper-shouted at the Doctor.

"Judoon have no authority over human crime."

"But she's not human!" Buffy insisted, tears slipping down her cheeks. Florence sniffed imperiously.

"Oh, but I am, surely? I've been catalogued." She holds up her wrinkled hand, marked with an X. Buffy stopped her attempts to wake up the Doctor, and belatedly realised exactly what his plan was. A small hopeful grin spread across her face, and she looked down at the Doctor admiringly. Martha missed the overjoyed expression on Buffy's face.

"But she's not, she assimilated…" Then Martha finally gets it. "Wait a minute." She addressed Florence. "You drank his blood? The Doctor's blood!" She grabs a device off of one of the Judoon and points it at Florence. The old woman sneers at them.

"I don't mind, scan all you like." There was silence for several minutes as the Judoon analysed the scan.

"Non-Human!" Buffy and Martha were a little surprised to hear how stunned the Judoon captain sounded. Florence froze.

"What!?"

"Confirm analysis!" All the Judoon hold out their devices and train them on Florence, who starts to panic.

"But … that's a mistake, it's got to be. I'm human, I'm as human as they come." She insisted.

"Nice try, but I think your goose is cooked." Buffy declared triumphantly, cradling the Doctor's head in her lap. Martha stared down at the Doctor in stunned surprise.

"He gave his life so they'd find you." She mumbled. Buffy stiffened, realising what the Doctor had just sacrificed to trap her. _'Cause it's always gotta be blood…_

"Yep. And when he wakes up again, I'm gonna kill him." Buffy promised, as she smiled down at the Doctor and gently stroked his hair and face. Martha watched this with a sad, smile on her face before she turned back to the Judoon captain, who was studying Florence.

"Confirm: Plasmavore. Charged with the crime of murdering the Child Princess of Padrivole Recency Nine." Both Buffy and Martha made a face at the strangeness. _Okay, I think I speak for every Human here when I say: 'huh'?_ Florence's face went from stunned to sinister in two seconds flat when she realised the jig was up.

"And she deserved it!" Florence seethed. "Those pink cheeks and blonde curls, and that simpering voice, oh, she was begging for the bite of a Plasmavore!" Buffy and Martha assumed that the Judoon Captain was frowning at Florence.

"Then you confess?"

"Confess? I'm proud of it!" Florence smirked, then headed for the fenced off booth. "Slab, stop them!" The slab steps forward, but a Judoon fires and the slab burns with red light and vanishes. Buffy's mouth dropped open.

"Where can I get one of those?" She asked, jokingly. Florence makes it into the booth.

"Verdict: guilty. Sentence: execution!" The Judoon captain boomed, as all the Judoon lumbered into the room, formally raising their guns. They are a firing squad, facing the glass of the booth. Florence jams two circuits together then turned to her executioners. Buffy's eyes widen when she realises what's about to happen and she shields the Doctor's body with her own. Martha crouches beside them both.

"Enjoy your victory, Judoon. Cos you're going to burn with me! Burn in hell!" All the Judoon fire their guns, burning a hole in the window which melts like wax, and the beams blister right through. Florence is wrapped in red light, and she burns away into nothing, screaming her last. The Judoon lowered their guns.

"Case closed." The tampered-with MRI machine creates an arc of lightning across the room, and the 'tunnel' of the MRI is becoming a hollow light-storm, spitting power. Martha frowned with concern.

"But what did she mean, burn with me? The scanner shouldn't be doing that, she's done something." The Judoon captain pauses and _vips_ the scanner with his device.

"Scan indicates lethal acceleration of mono-magnetic pulse." He reports. Martha and Buffy reacted with horror.

"Well do something, stop it!"

"Our jurisdiction has ended. Judoon will evacuate." Buffy's eyes flashed.

"What?! But you can't just leave it! What's it gonna do?" The Judoon ignores her and pulls out his comms device.

"All units! Withdraw!" Martha and Buffy gaped at the Judoon as they stomp out in a line, heading down the corridor. Angry, Martha rushed out in the MRI doorway and yelled after them.

"You can't just go! That thing's gonna explode, and it's your fault!" But yet again, she is ignored. Yelling in frustration (and stumbling a bit due to a lack of oxygen), Martha runs back into the MRI room, where she finds Buffy desperately trying to revive the Doctor. But so far, she is unsuccessful.

"C'mon, we need to get the Doctor back on his feet. What do we do?" Martha immediately kneels beside him and gets to work.

"I'm gonna need your help, Buffy. I need you to breathe for him." Buffy nodded, and tilted the Doctor's head back while Martha starts pumping his chest (one, two, three) and Buffy breathes into his mouth. They continue doing this for several minutes before something suddenly occurs to them.

"Two hearts!" They said in unison.

Martha tries again: she pumps the left side of his chest (one, two, three). Then the right side (one, two, three). Buffy gives the applied breaths when Martha indicates for her to do so (one, two). Blue lightning crackles around Buffy, Martha and the Doctor. Both girls are getting more and more desperate, flushed and exhausted; even more so because the air is getting thin. However, they press on; their determination to save the Doctor overruling the need to breathe. But pretty soon, the lack of air becomes critical; and Buffy, struggling as her breathing is getting shallow, manages to take one long, deep breath and breathes into the Doctor, with Martha watching all this with grave eyes. Then the Doctor suddenly breathes in, and his eyes flicker open. He is in pain, and dazed. Buffy slumps onto the linoleum, unconscious. Martha isn't faring much better.

"The scanner … she did something…" She gestures vaguely towards the MRI machine. The Doctor summons his strength and hauls himself up and round, so he's looking over her. Then he notices Buffy and his eyes widen in horror as he crawls over to her side, smoothing back her hair from her face. "The air … Buffy gave you the last." Martha explains, as she starts slumping dangerously. The Doctor is blinking rapidly, trying to shake it off as he looks around. The MRI scanner is approaching critical and screaming with electricity. The Doctor, still in pain, reaches for every last reserve of energy to haul himself into the booth. He scans the cannibalised circuitry and instinctively reaches for his sonic, then stops when he remembers.

"The sonic!" He groans. He grabs a handful of wires and circuit boxes. In amongst the many: one thick red wire, one thick blue. But he's still dazed, his head swimming. "Red or blue? Red or blue?" The noise is getting louder now, catching his attention. "…ohh, blue." Then he changes his mind. "No!" And rips apart the red wire, shutting down the MRI tunnel. The room returns to normal and the Doctor breathes hard, recovering but relieved. He stumbles back to where Martha and Buffy are, with Martha cradling an unconscious Buffy's head in her lap. Without a word, the Doctor bends down and scoops Buffy up into his arms, and assists Martha to her feet. "Follow me, and lean on me for support." Martha nods sluggishly and grabs on to the Doctor's sleeve as they both leave the MRI room. People are slumped everywhere in the corridors; and the Doctor, breathing hard and pale faced, but stubbornly never stopping, carries Buffy and leads Martha through the corridor. He makes it to an empty ward, and Martha finally gives in and collapses to the ground as the Doctor walks over to the window with Buffy in his arms. In the distance, on the surface of the Moon, the Judoon ships are leaving and rising gently upwards into space.

"Come on. Please. Please…" The Doctor mutters underneath his breath. Suddenly, rain hits the window and a triumphant smile spreads across the Doctor's face. "It's raining, girls, it's raining on the Moon." The Doctor and Buffy are thrown into a stark silhouette as the entire window blazes a bright, blinding white.

* * *

Half an hour later, the Royal Hope Hospital is in a state of organised chaos. Ambulances, Police cars and people are passing to and fro, with some patients being carried in on stretchers by paramedics and others in wheelchairs. A lot are being given oxygen. Martha sits on the back step of an ambulance, looking dazed. A paramedic gives Martha the all clear and she gets up and walks away.

"Martha!" She turns and sees her sister, Tish, trying to force her way past a crowd barrier. Martha smiles and waves at her sister, but at the same time glances around looking for something … and finds it: the Doctor and Buffy walking towards a wooden blue box. Buffy spots Martha, smiles and nudges the Doctor, who turns and notices Martha. He smiles warmly and waves, but both of them keep walking… Inside the TARDIS, Buffy walks over to the stairs that leads to the lower decks of the TARDIS, and buries her head in her lap. The Doctor frowns, but doesn't immediately approach her.

"Buffy?" She looks up, but doesn't immediately look over at him. He sighs, put the TARDIS into idle and sat down beside the quiet Slayer. "Are you okay?" Still, no reply. He grows worried. "C'mon, love, talk to me." He cajoled, gently. Buffy finally turns her head, and the Doctor is shocked to see tears brimming in her eyes.

"You really scared me today, Doctor." Buffy stated, hurt. The Doctor immediately looked guilty. "Are you always this reckless?" The Doctor looked slightly offended, but didn't immediately deny Buffy's observation. The Slayer wiped away the tears, and attempted to get up from the step; but the Doctor gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him in to a strong embrace, startling Buffy.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled into her hair, and Buffy leaned against his chest. She could feel his heartbeats underneath her cheek. "Do you want to leave?" The Doctor sounded vulnerable and Buffy frowned. Just because the Doctor had screwed up today, didn't mean that she wanted this whole new adventure to end. She just wanted to set things straight with him. Buffy pulled back and looked him in the eyes.

"What made you come to that conclusion?" The Doctor's eyes widened in astonishment, but at the same time Buffy was amused to see signs of hope within them.

"Well, I just thought…" The Doctor was cut off when Buffy pulled him into a very tight hug. Startled, the Doctor flailed his arms.

"I'm not going anywhere, you silly alien." She whispered, and felt the Doctor relax. Clearly, it was the answer he needed from her; and that immediately made Buffy feel sad. Was the Doctor really that lonely? Did she seem the same way to Willow and Xander? "Seeing you dead after that crazy old lady—"

"Plasmavore." He corrected her. Buffy rolled her eyes.

"… killed you. It shocked me. Being the Slayer means that I face death and witness it on a daily basis. But your death…" She couldn't continue, but she did wanted to save face. Her whole face burned like fire, and didn't want to know how red she had gotten. Buffy stood up and retreated towards the console. If she had bothered to look back, she would've seen the Doctor staring at her with an intrigued and calculating expression on his face.

"I cannot stress how sorry I am that I scared you that much, Buffy. And I'm very pleased that you still wanna be here with me." The Doctor stated with a warm smile. "But I have to warn you, I cannot escape being reckless. And I hope you can accept this." Buffy was silent for a moment, before she turned and faced the Doctor.

"If it means I can escape being the Slayer every once in a while, then maybe I can deal." The Doctor grinned.

"Brilliant." Buffy rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around the Doctor's neck, hugging him tightly. The Doctor gave a warm grin and squeezed back; both of them succumbing to laughter, before he breaks away and starts his usual dance around the console; putting in the next coordinates.

"So, Doctor. Where are we going next?" Buffy asked. The Doctor flipped a couple of switches.

"Everywhere. But first, we've gotta make a pit stop." Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"Where?"

"You'll see." The TARDIS groaned to a stop, and the Doctor raced over to the doors; grabbing his coat as he went. "Back in a mo." And he disappeared out of the doors. Buffy sagged against the console before shrugging and moving to take a seat.

* * *

Ten minutes later, the Doctor re-emerges, hurrying to the console.

"Ready to go?" Buffy asks.

"In a minute." The TARDIS wheezes and groans for a couple of seconds before the Doctor darts back out. Buffy rushes after him, confused.

"Doctor!?" But he had already darted out of sight. _What is he up to?_ Buffy walked back to the console and leans up against it. "Do you know what he's doing?" Buffy asks the TARDIS, not really expecting an answer.

 _"He's proving something, chosen one."_ A mysterious female entity replies from within Buffy's head. The Slayer jumps like she had been shot, and glances at the console incredulously.

"Oh, that is freaky…" She mumbles, and could swear she could hear the TARDIS laughing. The Doctor chose that moment to step back inside, but this time holding his tie in one hand. She frowns. "What's going on here?" The Doctor frowns at Buffy.

"Are you alright?" Buffy nods shakily.

"I will be." The Doctor nods uncertainly before throwing a switch and the wheezing and groaning reappears. When the TARDIS stops once again, Buffy intercepts the Doctor as he was making his way once again towards the doors. "Seriously, Doctor, what are you doing?" The Doctor places his hands on Buffy's shoulders and gently moves her to one side.

"Proving something to Martha." He explains.

"Martha?"

"Yeah, I wanna take her with us for one trip to thank her." The Doctor said brightly. Buffy was pleasantly surprised.

"Oh." He laughs at her reaction.

"Give me two seconds." And he strides towards the door and steps outside. Buffy's enhanced hearing picks up Martha's stunned gasp. She didn't have to wait long before the door opened and Martha appeared. The student doctor takes a cautious step further inside, followed by a smug looking Doctor. Buffy sees Martha's eyes widen in shock … before she suddenly turns and walks back out saying:

"No, no, no…" Martha walked back inside. "But it's just a box … But it's huge! How does it do that? It's wood! It's like a box with that room just … crammed in!" Buffy sniggers as the Doctor rolls his eyes at Martha's reaction. "It's bigger on the inside!" The Doctor had mouthed the same thing, before straightening up from his perch on the hand rail leading up from the doors.

"Is it? I hadn't noticed." The Doctor said, indifferent. He runs to the console, full of energy and stabs some buttons. "Of course, you know Buffy?" Martha's eyes focus upon Buffy who waves.

"Hi!" Martha grins at her, but then continues glancing about the room before frowning.

"But, is there a crew? Like the navigator and stuff? Where's everyone else?" Martha asks curiously. The Doctor stops bouncing around like a superball, and faces Martha.

"It's just me, and Buffy of course." He winks at the Slayer who smiles back. Martha nods.

"How long have you been travelling with the Doctor?" Martha asks Buffy. The Doctor, much to Buffy's surprise, fills the question.

"Not long. Very resent addition." He said. "I also had another companion, a friend of mine. Rose, her name was Rose, and, um… we were together, and … anyway." He trails off, looking uncomfortable and clears his throat. Buffy frowns and exchanges a look with Martha. This was news to her.

"Where is she now?" Martha asks, cautiously.

"With her family. Happy! She's fine." The Doctor replies vaguely. Buffy's frown deepens. _So why don't I believe you?_ "So! How about one trip, to say thanks?" Martha brightens.

"Sounds like fun!" She agrees, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks. Buffy sees this, and scowls at the back of Martha's head before she stops herself. _Why am I jealous? Martha's entitled to flirt with the Doctor, and I've got Angel… don't I?_ Confused, Buffy turns and leans against the TARDIS console, deep in thought.

"Good!" yells the Doctor, enthusiastically. "Now then, let's have a look." Buffy forces herself to let it go and focus on the new adventure. The Doctor runs around the console, making the coordinates. "Close down the Gravitic Anomalyser. Fire up the Helmic Regulator. And finally…" The Doctor pauses in front of a lever, grinning. Buffy and Martha eye him, waiting to see what he was about to do next. "… the handbrake!" Martha eyes him warily. "Ready?"

"No!" The Doctor takes a hold of the big console lever, grinning from ear to ear.

"And off we go!" He slams down the lever, causing the whole room to shake, and give off a violent jolt. Buffy and Martha are thrown about like ragdolls, and they scramble to hold on to the console for dear life.

"Woah!" Buffy hollers.

"Blimey! It's a bit bumpy!" Martha observes, before laughing with excitement. The Doctor catches Buffy before she is dumped unceremoniously to the floor, and wraps an arm around her shoulders as he reaches out to Martha.

"Welcome on board, Miss Jones." Martha doesn't hesitate and shakes his hand.

"It's my pleasure, Mr. Smith." The Doctor grins happily, pleased that once again he had companions to travel around with, and slams switches, and throws levers. Buffy and Martha watch him, unaware that they shared the same feelings for the Doctor. The TARDIS hurtles its way through the vortex.

* * *

 **A/N: Finally! It took a bit to get through this chapter. But I'm glad we got there in the end. The next chapter involves an annoyed and slightly jealous Doctor. But you'll have to read the next chapter to find out why. Please review with your thoughts. Cheers xx**


	5. Did Shakespeare Just Hit On Me?

**This chapter is set during 'The Shakespeare Code'. Because it is a long episode, it will be split up. Enjoy xx**

 **I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson.** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ **© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions. Cheers xx**

* * *

 **DID SHAKESPEARE JUST HIT ON ME?**

" _Love only breaks up, to start over again."  
_ _ **~Kym Mazelle: 'Young Hearts, Run Free' (Young Hearts, Run Free – Single [1997])**_

* * *

A violent shudder almost threw Buffy out of bed, and the Slayer stirred from her sleep as a result. Frowning, she stood up and immediately made her way out of the temporary room in the TARDIS; to investigate what the Doctor was up to. Along the way, she almost collided with a slightly nervous Martha Jones who was clutching for dear life onto any bolted down surface she could lay her hands on.

"Is it always like this?" Martha asked, warily.

Buffy gave a sheepish chuckle, and reached out a hand for Martha to grab on to. She had only just gotten used to being thrown around like a ragdoll, and knew how to compensate to avoid unnecessary injury.

"Pretty much. You get used to it." Buffy reassured her. Martha nodded, not entirely convinced. "Come on, let's see where the Doctor's taking us for your 'thank you' trip." Buffy suggested and Martha instantly brightened. It was obvious that Martha was starved for real adventure. Together, Buffy and Martha made their way to the console where they found the Doctor darting around it; making adjustments, pushing random buttons, flipping levers and checking readings.

"Doctor?" He looked over and gave them a jovial grin that Buffy loved seeing on his handsome face.

"Ah, just in time! Come up and see!" He gestured insistently. Buffy and Martha walked up to the console and had to grab on to it to remain steady when the TARDIS gave another violent shudder after the Doctor turns a wheeled control.

"How do you travel in time? What makes it go?" asked Martha, curiously. The Doctor tinkered with some controls.

"Oh, let's take the fun and mystery out of everything." He muttered, distractedly. "Martha, you don't wanna know. It just does. Hold on tight!" Buffy and Martha watched with amusement as the Doctor practically climbs up onto the console. Another violent shake topples Buffy and Martha to the floor like bowling pins and throws the Doctor off the console.

"Did you get the number of the bus that hit us?" Buffy quipped unenthusiastically as she got to her feet and helped Martha to hers. The Doctor didn't bother to reply, but she was sly enough to spot the smirk that subtly appeared on his face.

"Blimey! Do you have to pass a test to fly this thing?" Martha rubbed her arm to soothe the pain.

"Yes, and I failed it." The Doctor replied distractedly. He darted over to where he had thrown his coat and picked it up, tossing Buffy and Martha theirs. "Now let's make the most of it. I promised you a trip, and outside this door … a brave new world." He grins at Martha.

"Where are we?" Martha approached the Doctor cautiously, sceptical that they had actually moved though time and space despite what he had just shown her back home. The Doctor stepped aside.

"Take a look." He pushes open the door. "After you." Martha grinned and walked outside the TARDIS and onto an Elizabethan street, late at night, with people milling about in old-fashioned clothes. This was Buffy's first time to the past as well, and she couldn't help but look at the Doctor incredulously. For once, the normally chatty and witty worded Californian was lost for words.

But Martha had plenty to say.

"Oh, you are kidding me. You are so kidding me!" Martha glanced about the lamp lit streets with wonder.

"This is totally unreal." Buffy breathed, stepping a little further away from a smug looking Doctor, and a gobsmacked Martha followed.

"Oh, my God! We did it. We've travelled in time."

"Unless somebody spiked my coffee." Buffy stated, and The Doctor playfully protests.

"Oi, this is as real as you or I. Don't knock it." Buffy shook her head and continued rubbernecking.

"Where are we? No, sorry…" Martha interrupted the Doctor before he could respond. "I gotta get used to this whole new language. _When_ are we?" The Doctor reached out, without warning, and pulled back both Buffy and Martha. Just in time to avoid the contents of a bucket thrown from a man in a window above them. All three of them made a disgusted face.

"Uh, somewhere before the invention of the toilet. Sorry about that." Buffy and Martha shrugged.

"I think I'll survive." Buffy reassured him.

"Yeah, trust me. I've seen worse." Martha shrugged.

The Doctor immediately started walking off, not waiting for the girls to follow him. Buffy and Martha sidestepped the human waste as they jogged to keep up with the briskly walking Doctor.

"Are we safe?" The Doctor looked at Martha quizzically. Buffy rolled her eyes, as she took in the people going about their lives; Martha was worse than Willow was when she was curious or fascinated with something that she was interested in. "I mean, can we move around and stuff?"

"Of course we can. Why do you ask?" The Doctor was confused and glances over Martha's shoulder at Buffy for an explanation, but the Slayer shrugged back, smirking. The Doctor huffed. _Thanks a lot…_

Martha explained herself. "It's like in the films. You step on a butterfly; you change the future of the human race."

Buffy sniggered, but not unkindly. She walked over to Martha and clapped a hand on her shoulder.

"No offense, Martha, but I think you should lay off those kinds of films. I think travelling with the Doctor contradicts them." Buffy sauntered over to stand with the Doctor, who was looking bemused.

"Well, tell you what then, don't step on any butterflies." He replied eventually. "What have butterflies ever done to you?" They continue walking, with Martha slightly flushed with embarrassment. She couldn't help but throw an annoyed look at Buffy. It was just a harmless question. But she couldn't help but throw in an additional question.

"What if, I dunno, what if I kill my grandfather?"

"You planning to?"

"No." The Doctor gave Martha a fond but exasperated look.

"Well then." Martha sighed and gave up on the questions. They weren't getting her anywhere, and it seemed that the Doctor was remaining 'mum' on the subject if the secretive smile on his face meant anything.

"So this is London." Buffy stated. The Doctor gave a quick scan of the buildings and the straw and dirt covered streets.

"I think so. Right about 1599, at my best guess." He confirmed. Martha's eyes widened as though realising something important.

"Hold on. Am I going to be alright here? I'm not gonna get carted off as a slave, am I?"

"Why would they do that?" The Doctor asked, not concerned. Martha gave him a look.

"Not exactly white, in case you haven't noticed." She gave a slight gesture to herself. The Doctor sighed.

"I'm not even human." He pointed out, as Buffy stepped forward.

"And even if they tried to cart you off; they'd have to go through me to do so." She added. Martha gave Buffy a strange look.

"What makes you think you'd make any difference if something like that were to happen?" Buffy gave her a very crafty smirk that made Martha nervous. Even the Doctor's eyes had a knowing glint in them. He picked his companions _well_.

"Let's just say I'm not like other sixteen year old girls. I was …" Buffy hesitated and the Doctor subtly grasped her hand to lend her support. He understood how much she hated being the Slayer. "Given certain abilities that usually give me my own way. If I wanted to." She explained, albeit somewhat vaguely. Martha's eyes widened.

"You're sixteen!?" She looked at the Doctor disapprovingly. "But Buffy's just a kid, what's she doing travelling time and space with you? Her parents must be worried sick!" Buffy winced and withdrew into herself, earning a concerned look from the Doctor.

"My mom doesn't exactly know." She admitted, then gave Martha a hard look. "And I don't want her to know. My lifestyle is already putting her in danger, I don't want to tempt fate any further than I have." She stated tersely. "I don't expect you to understand." Buffy stormed off.

"Buffy, wait! Don't wonder off!" The Doctor yelled after her, before turning and giving Martha a scowl. "There is something you need to know about me, Martha." The Doctor stated. "I will always look after you. I will NEVER deliberately put you in danger, trust me." Then he took off after his other companion before she could get herself into trouble. Martha followed, but at a more sedate pace.

Guilt made muffins on her conscience.

* * *

The Doctor found Buffy at the docks, hugging herself and staring up at the Moon. She looked exactly like her age; an innocent, vulnerable sixteen-year-old girl, who was lost and scared. He didn't like that. He much preferred her as the intelligent, highly-independent young woman with pure nerve and a 'never-give-up, never-give-in' attitude. A champion, neither cruel nor cowardly. Two attributes the Doctor had always tried to live by when he took on the name: 'the Doctor'. He hadn't known her for very long, but he understood more than anyone the weight of the world on her slender shoulders. He was the last of the Time Lords; like Buffy Summers was the Slayer; the chosen one. The Doctor slowly approached and stopped directly behind her.

"What do you know about the Slayer, Doctor?" Buffy asked quietly. He stiffened, his face showing disgust, but his eyes showed understanding.

"Enough." Buffy turned to him, arms still folded across her chest: an obvious shield to protect herself.

"So you know why I lashed out at Martha like that?" He nodded, solemnly. Buffy laughed slightly.

"I thought you had come after me to tell me off." Buffy stated, turning away and walking away a bit. The Doctor followed. "Colour me stunned." She drawled.

"On the contrary; I believed you to be within your rights to defend yourself. It's not Martha's business why you've decided to temporarily leave your life behind to travel with me." Buffy shot him a look.

"Who said it was temporary?" The Doctor narrowed his eyes at her.

"You will eventually have to go home, Buffy." He reminded her. "You can't run away from your problems." Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't that what you're doing?"

"Sorry?"

"You're running from something too, Doctor; and it looks like you've been running for a long time. What I can't understand is what that is." Buffy studied the Doctor curiously. He avoided looking her in the eyes.

"Buffy, I never said that you couldn't come back and travel with me. I would just prefer it if you finished your education first." Buffy's eyes narrowed.

"Except you're forgetting one thing, Doctor."

"What's that?" He asked. Buffy produced her stake from her jacket and showed it to him.

"I'll always be the Slayer. I'll always be fighting for my life." She replaces the stake back into her jacket, and goes to walk past him. However, the Doctor gently grabs her wrist and stops her, pulling her back to face him.

"Yeah, you'll be the Slayer. But you don't have to face it alone, you know." He reminded her. Buffy blinked at him curiously.

"Are you offering?"

The Doctor smiled, fondly. He abhors violence; never carries a weapon. But the creatures Buffy faced every day of her short life were beyond redemption or help. They were driven by only one purpose that stood against everything the Doctor protected. So, in this case; he could make an exception to prevent countless losses.

"If you want me to help you, then I will." The Doctor vowed.

Buffy gave him a smile, before she nodded and cuddled up to the Doctor. He returned the hug and kissed the top of her head … and was immediately assaulted with horrific images of Buffy's future. _No!_ In that split second visit into Buffy's vulnerably exposed mind, the Doctor glimpsed snippets of a gloomy, candlelit cavern with an eerie gothic ambiance; Buffy, dressed up in a beautiful, but very simple white dress; a grotesquely disfigured vampire with sinister blood red eyes, dressed all in black. He saw that same vampire biting Buffy before releasing her after a few pulls from her neck and Buffy dropped to her knees, falling face first into a shallow pool of water. _Buffy, no!_

"Doctor?" His eyes were wide with horror and grief. "Are you alright?" The Doctor couldn't forget the image of fear in Buffy's eyes, or how his two hearts clenched like a vice at the mere thought of Buffy dying. That was when the Doctor realised, something that he had thought impossible ever since Rose had been lost in Parallel Earth: he had somehow - intentional or not - developed an instant connection with Buffy. No, not a connection; the term didn't seem to fit somehow… "Doctor, you're starting to scare me again. Are you alright?" The Doctor looked down and saw Buffy's green eyes were frowning at him. _But why now? It's too soon after Rose left…_

"I'm always alright." He lied. Buffy nodded and turned to walk away.

"C'mon Doctor, let's find Martha and go exploring." Buffy suggested, a bit happier than before and reaching back to offer her new alien friend her hand.

The Doctor firmly stomped down on his fear and smiled brightly, taking Buffy's hand and followed the Slayer back to where they had left Martha. _Why Buffy?_ The Doctor mused, casting his mind back to the premonition he had just seen. Not even Rose had stirred this kind of emotion in him when he had learned from the Devil himself that she would 'die' during a great battle (which turned out to be Canary Wharf in the end). And he had cared so much for Rose. But if Buffy truly was his second chance _,_ he was not losing her.

Not like he had lost Rose.

The Doctor led Buffy back to where he had left Martha. Buffy was still a little cold towards her, so Martha maintained a respectful distance from the teenager to give her the space she needed to calm down. The Doctor decided to let his troubled thoughts rest … for now.

"Right! Let's get going." The Doctor exclaims brightly, giving an oblivious Buffy a final curious glance. "Martha, Buffy, just walk like you own the place. Works for me." He takes off down the street, sandwiched between both girls. "Besides, you'd be surprised. Elizabethan England, not so different from your times. Look over there." The Doctor indicated to a man shovelling manure. "They've got recycling." He points to two men, having a conversation over a water barrel. "Water cooler moment." A priest was preaching about the end of the world, and the Doctor, Buffy and Martha heard him as they passed:

"… and the world will be consumed by flame!"

"Global warming." The Doctor grinned excitedly. "Oh, yes, and … entertainment! Popular entertainment for the masses. If I'm right, we're just down the river by Southwark right next to…" He grabs both their hands and they run around a corner. "Oh, yes, the Globe Theatre!" He gestures to a large wooden black and white building in the distance from where they were standing. "Brand new. Just opened. Though strictly speaking, it's not a globe; it's a tetradecagon, 14 sides." Buffy rolls her eyes. The Doctor catches her, but ignores it as he stops. "Containing the man himself." Martha's eyes widened in realisation. But Buffy was a little slow on the uptake; history was never her strongest point.

"Woah, you don't mean … is Shakespeare in there?"

Buffy frowned in disbelief. The Doctor grinned.

"Oh, yes." He holds out his arms. "Miss Jones. Miss Summers, will you both accompany me to the theatre?" Martha didn't hesitate.

"Yes, Mr. Smith, I will." She links arms with him, excited. The Doctor turns towards Buffy, his eyes softening on her now that he had finally accepted his new feelings. The Slayer smiled.

"Sounds like fun." She agreed and takes his arm. They started walking towards the theatre.

"When you both get home, you can tell everyone you've seen Shakespeare." Martha snorted.

"Then I could get sectioned!" However, Buffy had a different opinion.

"I think Giles would like that." Both the Doctor and Martha looked at her with surprise. "What? Giles is my watcher, he's into authors and playwrights like Shakespeare and Charles Dickens..." She trailed off, feeling stupid. The Doctor smiles.

* * *

Buffy had never really been a fan of theatre - unless it was the Ice Capades, which she saw every year with her father on her birthday - ever since she, Willow and Xander were forced to put something in Sunnydale High's annual Talent Quest after being caught making fun of Giles, who had been roped into organising the event. It had been Willow's idea to recite _Oedipus Rex,_ a dramatic scene; because it didn't require any actual talent to perform. When it came time to actually do their act, Willow had abandoned Buffy and Xander on stage halfway through, due a bout of stage fright and thus further strengthening Buffy's dislike. But after standing in the packed Globe Theatre with the Doctor and Martha, watching an actual Shakespeare play being performed with an all-male cast; she decided that it wasn't too bad. Soon the play was over and everyone was applauding and cheering. Up on the stage the actors were taking their bows.

Martha was practically beside herself with excitement.

"That's amazing! Just amazing." Martha gushed. Buffy continued to clap politely.

"It's worth putting up with the smell." She admitted. They observed the actors on stage wearing dresses and elaborate headdresses.

"And those are men dressed as women, yeah?" Martha asked. The Doctor sighed, still clapping enthusiastically.

"London never changes." Buffy still saw that as odd, not to mention highly sexist and made a point of saying this to the Doctor. "It was forbidden for a woman to perform on stage in Elizabethan England back in 1500's onwards." He explained to her. Buffy made a face; this was why she and History didn't mix. It was too complicated.

"Where's Shakespeare? I wanna see Shakespeare." Martha yelled over the loud crowd then chants with her fist in the air. "Author! Author!" Both the Doctor and Buffy look at her. Martha lowered her arm sheepishly.

"Do people shout that?" Buffy asked, curiously. "Do they shout 'Author'?" A man in the crowd behind Martha suddenly picks up the chant and it spreads. The Doctor looked mildly amused.

"Well… they do now." He said, looking around. Finally, William Shakespeare comes out from backstage and takes an exaggerated bow, blowing kisses.

Buffy sniggers. "Is he for real?"

The Doctor shrugs as the audience goes wild and cheers louder. Martha flicks her eyes over Shakespeare critically.

"He's a bit different from his portraits." Buffy cracks a slightly interested smile. To her, Shakespeare was easy on the eyes.

"Yeah, he's a hottie." The Doctor heard this and glanced over at Buffy. She just didn't notice the jealous look on his face, but Martha did and she frowned with concern. However, the Doctor recovered and put in _his_ two cents worth about Shakespeare.

"Genius. He's a genius, _the_ genius. The most human Human that's ever been." Buffy gave the Doctor an incredulous smile. "Now we're gonna hear him speak. Always, he chooses the best words. New, beautiful, brilliant words." Buffy and Martha turned back and waited for Shakespeare to speak.

"Shut your big fat mouths!" The bard brayed to the raucous crowd. The Doctor's face fell, and Buffy tried (and failed) to hold back laughter.

"Oh, well." The Doctor sounded dejected. Martha clicked her tongue sympathetically.

"You should never meet your heroes." Shakespeare paced the length of the stage as he addressed his audience.

"You have excellent taste! I'll give you that." He scanned the crowd and zeroed in on a random man. "Oh, that's a wig!" He teased. "I know what you're all saying. _Love's Labour's Lost_ , that's a funny ending, isn't it? It just stops! Will the boys get the girls?" He paused letting it all sink in. "Well, don't get your hose in a tangle, you'll find out soon. Yeah, yeah. All in good time. You don't rush a genius." He bows and then jerks upright looking a bit stunned. Buffy frowns. "When? Tomorrow night." He announces. The crowd cheers, and now the rest of the cast is stunned. "The premiere of my brand new play. A sequel, no less, and I call it _Loves Labour's Won_!"

The audience applauds loudly once again, except for the Doctor who looks troubled. Martha and Buffy, taking their cue from the Doctor, aren't sure if this is good news or not.

* * *

The Doctor, Buffy and Martha shuffle their way out of the Globe Theatre with everyone else. Martha frowned.

"I'm not an expert, but I've never heard of 'Loves Labour's Won'." She stated, matter-of-factly.

"Exactly. The lost play. It doesn't exist, only in rumours. It's mentioned in lists of his plays but never ever turns up. No one knows why." The Doctor told them both. Martha suddenly got a 'lightbulb-over-the-head' expression.

"Have you got a mini-disk or something? We could tape it. Flog it, and sell it when we get home and make a mint…" She trails off when she sees the disapproving look on the Doctor's face.

"No." The Doctor stated, firmly.

"That would be bad?"

"Yeah. Yeah." The Doctor confirmed. Martha pouted in disappointment.

"Well, how come it disappeared in the first place?" Buffy asked, grinding the heel of her shoe into the instep of an overly-friendly man in the crowd when he tried to grope her, then grabbed on to the Doctor's hand for security. The Doctor winced, but silently approved of the way Buffy handled it. As for the mystery of _Loves Labour's Won_ , well…

"I was just gonna make this a quick little trip in the TARDIS but I suppose we could stay a bit longer." The Doctor was a little annoyed about how this entire trip turned out. But then again, he had always been a sucker for a mystery. Martha perked up at that. They made their way to the Inn that Shakespeare was residing in. Buffy worked out very quickly that the Doctor had a tendency of being rude and entering places without being invited.

* * *

"Hello!" The Doctor knocked and stepped into the room Shakespeare had rented at the Inn. He was sitting at his desk, talking to a couple of his actor friends while down pints of ale. "Excuse me! I'm not interrupting, am I?" Shakespeare raises an eyebrow. "Mr. Shakespeare, isn't it?" The bard becomes instantly annoyed.

"Oh no, no, no, no. Who let you in?" The Doctor's cheerful smile fell slightly. "No autographs. No, you can't have yourself sketched with me. And please don't ask where I get my ideas from." Buffy and Martha shuffle in after the Doctor, both frowning in confusion. "Thanks for the interest. Now be a good boy and shove…" Shakespeare cuts himself off when he notices Martha and Buffy standing behind the Doctor. His mouth falls open. "Hey, nonny nonny. You two sit right down here next to me." Buffy and Martha exchange bewildered looks, although the bemusement vanishes from Martha's face the second she realises who she's about to be sitting next to. Buffy on the other hand, smiles painfully at Shakespeare. The attraction she had when she first saw the bard was non-existent.

"Uh, thanks?" Buffy mutters and stands closer to the Doctor, who sits in front of Shakespeare with a blank look on his face. Shakespeare turns to the two men.

"You two, get sewing on them costumes. Off you go." Dolly Bailey, the barmaid, comes over to retrieve some ale mugs, and starts pulling at the two men.

"Come on, lads. I think our William's found some new muses." Buffy recoiled in horror. Even more so when William starts leering at both her and Martha.

"My sweet ladies. Such unusual clothes. So fitted…" He observes what Buffy and Martha are wearing, and lingers a longer look at Martha.

"Um, verily, forsooth, egads." Martha replied, nervously. Buffy shakes her head, just as the Doctor leans over to whisper in Martha's ear.

"No, no. Don't do that." He holds out his psychic paper to Shakespeare who studies it curiously. "I'm Sir Doctor of TARDIS and they are my companions, Miss Martha Jones and Miss Buffy Summers." Shakespeare appears intrigued.

"Interesting, that bit of paper. It's blank." Buffy and Martha glance down at it. The Doctor looks impressed.

"Oh, that's … very clever. That just proves it, absolute genius." Buffy takes the psychic paper from the Doctor and studies what it says.

"But it says Sir Doctor, Martha Jones and Buffy Summers…" Shakespeare grins.

"And I say it's blank." Buffy scowls at him, and the Doctor quickly retrieves the paper from Buffy's hand.

"It's a psychic paper." Buffy makes a 'and…?' gesture, which causes the Doctor to flush with embarrassment. "Um, long story. Oh, I hate starting from scratch." He mumbled to himself and put the psychic paper away. Shakespeare takes a sip from his ale.

"Psychic? Never heard that before and words are my trade. Who are you exactly? And more's the point, who is your delicious blackamoor lady, and little sunshine?"

Buffy was taken aback.

"What?" She stammered.

"What did you say?" Martha asked, shocked. Shakespeare had a 'sorry, not sorry' look on his face, as the Doctor searched for the right words to answer. Buffy leaned over and whispered urgently in his ear.

"Please tell me William Shakespeare didn't just hit on me?" The Doctor looked cornered.

"Alright, I won't."

Buffy gathered up her patience and did not kick the Doctor in the shins.

"You're lucky you're hot…" She mumbled in annoyance. The Doctor smirked at Buffy's words.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this." Martha exclaimed, not knowing whether she should be charmed or insulted. The Doctor could feel a headache developing.

"It's political correctness gone mad. Um, Martha and Buffy are both from far-off lands. Er, Freedonia and California." Buffy gave the Doctor a 'are you nuts?' look that he ignored. Just then Lynley, a well-dressed but very portly man, walked into the room glowering at Shakespeare.

"Excuse me! Hold hard a moment. This is abominable behaviour. A new play with no warning? I demand to see a script, Master Shakespeare. As Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be performed." He boomed, pompously. Shakespeare looked less than enthused by his presence.

"Tomorrow morning, first thing, I'll send it round." He stated, boredly. Lynley frowned.

"I don't work to your schedule, you work to mine." The brandished his hand at Shakespeare. "The script, now!" Shakespeare sighed wearily.

"I can't."

"Then tomorrow's performance is cancelled." Martha looked amused.

"It's all go, 'round here, isn't it?" Buffy yawned. She was dead on her feet, since the TARDIS practically threw her out of bed before they had arrived here in Elizabethan England. Lynley turns to leave.

"I'm returning to my office for a banning order. If it's the last thing I do, _Love's Labour's Won_ will never be played." He goes. A minute later, they all hear screaming from outside. The Doctor is the first one out of the door, followed closely by Buffy, then Martha and lastly Shakespeare. They rush out to the street where Lynley is spitting up water.

"Isn't that the Master of the Revels?" Buffy asks. The Doctor nods.

"What's wrong with him?" He mutters before rushing forward. "Leave it to me, I'm a doctor." He rushes forward to his side. Martha darts over too.

"So am I, near enough." But the Doctor and Martha are too late to help him. Lynley suddenly pitches forward and falls to the ground. The Doctor stands and runs to look down the street. Buffy follows, while Martha remains with Lynley with Shakespeare observing with a grave face. She listens for his heartbeat and breathing.

"I've gotta get his heart going. Mr. Lynley, c'mon, can you hear me?" No response. Martha tilts his head back and prepares to start mouth-to-mouth. "You're going to be alright." But the Doctor stops her. Water gushes from Lynley's mouth, causing Martha to retreat in horror. "What the hell is that?"

The Doctor is mystified.

"I've never seen a death like it. His lungs are full of water, he drowned…" He pauses when this reminds him of Buffy's predicted future, and he glances up at her with worried eyes. It wasn't a good omen, if a water related death occurred hours after the Doctor had seen a vision of what's to come. "And then … I dunno, like a blow to the heart, an invisible blow." He stands, bringing Martha up with him and addresses Dolly. "Good mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humours. A natural if unfortunate demise." Both Buffy and Martha looked at him like he was nuts. This death was anything but a natural occurrence. "Call a constable and have him taken away." The Doctor instructs Dolly.

"Yes, sir." A young maid approaches Dolly.

"I'll do it, ma'am." She says, and Dolly nods. As the maid walks away, Buffy watches her with hawk-like eyes. Her 'spidey senses' were tingling big time around this woman. Something didn't ring true with her. She turns back and sees the Doctor crouching back down beside Lynley's body. Martha frowns at him and crouches down too.

"And why are you telling them that?" Buffy approaches and stares down at the body, a calculating expression in her green eyes.

"This lot still have got one foot in the Dark Ages." The Doctor explains. "If I tell them the truth, they'll panic and think it was witchcraft." Buffy crouches in front of him, in full Slayer-mode.

"Fine. What is it then?" She asks. The Doctor looks at her, with a grim expression.

"Witchcraft."

* * *

Shakespeare leads the Doctor, Buffy and Martha back into his room in the Inn. Dolly Bailey approaches the Doctor.

"I got you a room, Sir Doctor. You, Miss Jones and Miss Summers are just across the landing." He nods curtly, and she leaves. Shakespeare looked like he needed a good night's sleep.

"Poor Lynley." He said. "So many strange events. Not least of all, a land called Freedonia where a woman can be a doctor?" Martha smirks.

"Where a woman can do what she likes." Shakespeare turns to the Doctor, who was eyeing Buffy. The Slayer was sitting at the open window with her feet tucked up underneath her as she whittled yet another stake. He could tell that she was deep in thought.

"And you, Sir Doctor." The Doctor looked at Shakespeare. "How can a man so young have eyes so old?" The Doctor shrugged.

"I do a lot of reading." Buffy snorted softly, and tested the sharpness of her new stake with her finger.

"A trite reply." Shakespeare stated. "Yeah, that's what I'd do." He agreed, earning a smile from the Doctor. The bard turns addresses Martha, eyeing her curiously. "And you, you look at him like you're surprised he exists. He's as much of a puzzle to you as he is to me." Martha looks uncomfortable, as Shakespeare eyes Buffy and saunters over. Buffy takes no notice of him as he leans up against the wall. "And Miss Summers…" Buffy stops whittling and replaces her pocket knife in her pocket before spinning the stake in her grip and sticking it in her jacket before looking at him. Shakespeare looked intrigued by her actions. "There's a deep sadness in your eyes. What ails you?"

Buffy gave him a hard stare.

"That's my business, sir. It doesn't concern you." She goes to walk past him, but he foolishly grabs her wrist before Buffy rips it out of his grasp. The Doctor is immediately alert, not necessarily for Buffy's safety but for Shakespeare's.

"I don't think that is wise, Shakespeare." He warns. The bard frowns as Buffy smiles sweetly.

"Don't touch me. I'm tired, I'd like to go to bed now." She storms from the room and Martha gives an apologetic smile.

"I think we should say good night." She suggested, following Buffy's lead and disappearing from the room. Shakespeare is a little uneasy, but just as easily dismisses it. He has a play to finish for tomorrow night's performance.

"I must work. I have a play to complete. But I'll get my answers tomorrow, Doctor, and I'll discover more about you and why this constant performance of yours." The Doctor, who was halfway to the door; following his companions, stops and looks at Shakespeare sadly.

"All the world's a stage." He quotes one of Shakespeare's future lines back at him. The bard is instantly intrigued.

"Hm, I might use that. Good night, Doctor." He pulls up his quill and resumes writing. The Doctor nods.

"Nighty-night, Shakespeare." He mutters before he leaves for the adjacent bedroom Dolly had pointed out to him earlier.

* * *

Inside, the Doctor sees Buffy already curled up on the bed, facing the window. There was a chair sitting beside the bed, on Buffy's side and Martha was examining their room. Unknown to them both though, Buffy was wide awake and staring at the window, and she could hear everything they were saying.

"It's not exactly five-star, is it?" Martha commented. The Doctor, to Buffy, sounded distracted when he replied.

"Oh, it'll do. I've seen worse."

"I haven't even got a toothbrush." Buffy rolled her eyes. _Big deal…_ But apparently the Doctor was the type to always be prepared. Kinda like a scout.

"Ooh." He pats down his pockets and produces a brand new toothbrush, which he presents to Martha with a small smile. "Contains Venusian spearmint." He tells her before sauntering around the bed towards the chair.

Buffy immediately shuts her eyes. The Doctor takes off his coat and drapes it carelessly over the chair before sitting down on it. Always the gentleman, the Doctor offers the other part of the bed to Martha who gets in. She is slightly disappointed that she is unable to share the bed with the Doctor; and she couldn't help but think that the Doctor seemed relieved about that. She pretends not to notice when the Doctor absently reaches over and grabs Buffy's hand. It took every will Buffy possessed not to flinch in surprise when this happened.

"Aren't you tired?" Martha asks the Doctor. He shakes his head.

"I can go without sleep for long periods of time. It's a Time Lord thing." He replies, winking at Martha. "You go ahead, I'll keep watch over you both." He promises. Martha gets comfortable.

"So, magic and stuff. That's a surprise. It's a little bit 'Harry Potter'." The Doctor makes shushing noises causing Martha to frown in surprise, just as Buffy frowned in her 'sleep'. _What the heck is Harry Potter?_ "What?" She asked.

"Avoid talking about 'Harry Potter' for the time being. Buffy isn't supposed to know about it yet." The Doctor explained, stroking his thumb over Buffy's hand. She relaxed.

"Why?"

"Because Buffy is from the year 1996." Martha's eyes widened, and she nodded.

"But is it real, though? I mean, witches, black magic and all that, it's real?" She looked sceptical. The Doctor frowned at the very idea.

"'Course it isn't!" Martha sat up and glared at the Doctor indignantly.

"Well, how am I supposed to know? I've only just started believing in time travel. Give me a break." The Doctor sighed, still gently stroking Buffy's hand. It was lulling her to sleep.

"It looks like witchcraft, but it isn't. Can't be." He tells her. "There's such a thing as psychic energy but a human couldn't channel it like that. Not without a generator the size of Taunton and I think we'd have spotted that." He rambled on, confusing both Martha and (unknown to them) Buffy. "No. There's something I'm missing, Martha. Something really close, staring me right in the face and I can't see it." He paused, deep in thought; making Martha question what he knew. "Rose would know." Both Martha and Buffy made a face, although the latter did notice the Doctor gripping her hand tighter at the mention of Rose. _What's your deal?_ "Right now, she'd say exactly the right thing."

Martha nodded before turning to face away from the Doctor and blew out the candle. Within an hour, both girls have fallen asleep and the Doctor remains awake, still absently stroking Buffy's hand in his.

* * *

Buffy sits bolt right up in bed when she suddenly hears someone screaming, and realises that both the Doctor and Martha had already left the room. She hurries after them. And just before she made it to Shakespeare's room, her 'spidey sense' went right off the charts. Instinctively, Buffy frowned and followed after it. Little did she know that danger was lurking around just the corner.

* * *

 **A/N: Let's leave it here. What do you think's gonna happen to Buffy? Please review with your comments. Cheers guys ;)**


	6. Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

**Part two. How will Buffy get out of this? Enjoy xx**

 **I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson.** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ **© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions. Cheers xx**

* * *

 **BUBBLE, BUBBLE, TOIL AND TROUBLE**

" _Words are very unnecessary, they can only do harm."_ _ **  
~Anberlin: 'Enjoy the Silence' (Lost Songs [2007])**_

* * *

Shakespeare wakes up with a start when the Doctor and Martha enter the room. The Doctor sees Dolly Bailey's body lying on the floor and goes to examine while Martha spots something near the window and rushes to investigate.

"Wha? What was that?" Shakespeare babbles, looking around groggily. Then he notices the Doctor crouching beside a fallen Dolly Bailey. His eyes widened.

"Her heart gave out. She died of fright." The Doctor diagnosed.

"Doctor?"

"What did you see?" The Doctor asked, when he approached Martha at the window. Martha hesitated, not entirely sure she had seen what she had thought.

"A witch." The Doctor cursed underneath his breath. Martha stepped away from the window and frowned when she realised something or rather someone was not present. "Uh, Doctor? Where's Buffy?" The Doctor's head shot up, before he ran for their bedroom.

"Buffy?!" He barged back into the room, and panicked when he found no trace of the Slayer within. He dashed back into Shakespeare's room. A maid had been summoned in their absence, and she looked concerned.

"Where would she go?" Martha asked, confused and worried.

"I don't know."

"Well, there has to be a good reason why she would go off without telling anyone!" Martha stated, worried for the missing teenager. The Doctor was angry. Buffy should know better than wonder off on her own in a strange time and place. So there had to be a reason. The maid chose that moment to speak up.

"Uh, sir?" The Doctor turned towards her with an impatient look in his eyes. "Would you happen to be looking for a small blonde girl, dressed in men's clothing?" Martha sighed with relief as the Doctor advanced quickly on the girl, startling her in his exuberance.

"Do you know what happened to her? Or where she went?" He asked urgently. The maid nodded meekly.

"She left the inn about five minutes ago and took off down the street. It looked like she was searching for something or someone." She explained. Martha and the Doctor exchanged worried glances.

* * *

Buffy tracked down the creature or person responsible a couple of blocks away from the Inn she, the Doctor and Martha were staying at. Her tracking led her to the front of a row of buildings. It didn't look like anything special; just ordinary houses.

"Oh, great!" She grumbled. Then it occurred to her that she would be in a huge amount of trouble with the Doctor for wondering off like this without his permission. But when her Slayer instincts kicked in, she was powerless to stop because it meant the difference between a living or dying innocent person if she didn't act upon it. "Come on show yourself. I hate it when the bad guys play hide-and-seek." Buffy muttered to herself. She much preferred her enemy face-to-face; it made it easier to assess if they would be easy to take on by herself, or if she had to be creative or inventive with her take downs. In the end, she believed she had come across a dead end and was about to turn back, when she took notice of a nearby street sign: 'All Hallows Street'. Buffy groaned. _That could only mean one thing. Either I've stumbled upon witches, or this is someone's idea of a practical joke._ Buffy immediately felt uneasy. _Please be the latter…_

A nearby house magically opened its front door. Buffy raised an eyebrow. _Okay, then. I'll take creepy house with automatic opening door for $200, Alex…_ Buffy looked about, searching for signs that somebody was watching her, before she cautiously entered the building and up the staircase. She came upon another door blocking her way. Buffy tested the doorknob, but found it was locked. _Figures…_ She scoffed and turned to head back downstairs when the door gave an eerie creak as it opened.

"Cut that out!" Buffy muttered, but bravely (or foolishly) stepped over the threshold and deeper into the room. It was dark with numerous fires burning, sharp instruments hung from the walls and there were dried plants. What looked like a cauldron was in the centre of the room with something green and bubbling congealing within it.

"Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble…" Buffy quips. She takes another gander around the room, but wrongfully assumes that whoever lived here, must have just stepped out. Which to Buffy, meant more tracking. She was about to turn and leave to do so when something foul wafted past her nose. Buffy began coughing hard, and she tried to make a run for the door. But whatever it was she was inhaling was making her dizzy, and pretty soon she collapsed to the floor, drifting into unconsciousness.

 _Doctor… help me…_

* * *

Lilith, the same young maid Buffy had seen back at the Inn, stepped out of the shadows carrying a glass jug with a stopper. She smiled smugly down at the Slayer.

"It seems we have a trespasser in our midst, my mothers. Whatever shall we do with her?" She mused. Two old women with a wizened faces and sharp fangs jumped down from the rafters and all three circled around the sleeping Slayer.

"Torture?" One of them suggested.

"Kill her?" The other offered. But Lilith shook her head. She had a much better plan in mind for Buffy.

"All good ideas, but I have a better one." Lilith converges on the cauldron and waves her hand over it. An image of the Doctor materialised. He appears fearful, with Martha hovering around him offering assistance that is not being taken up. "This one is associated with her. I fear that he might cause trouble for us. We shall keep this one hostage, and have him bargain for her life." Buffy is then promptly shackled against the wall; awaiting the Doctor to rescue her.

* * *

Dawn arrived and a rooster heralded the morn. Today was expected to be a beautiful day, but the Doctor was too stressed out to admire it for what it was. One of his companions was missing. Her safety was his first priority, but the Doctor was also stressing because Buffy was extremely important to him and he knew that if anything happened to her; not only would the world suffer for it because of her Slayer's duties, but he knew that he probably wouldn't recover from it. Losing Rose was the equivalent of witnessing the death of a loved one in an accident and you were the only survivor. He didn't want to know what losing Buffy would be the equivalent of.

"Oh, sweet Dolly Bailey." The Doctor was pulled out of his thoughts by Shakespeare who was going through his morning routine. Martha sat beside him, looking a little bit more rested than the Doctor but no less worried for Buffy's safety. "She sat out three bouts of the Plague in this place. We all ran like rats." Martha winced, only imagining what experiencing the Black Plague would've been like. It was one of the diseases she had studied when she first started out as a student doctor, and the more she read and researched, the more she was glad the Plague wasn't as prevalent in 2007. "But what could have scared her so?" Shakespeare sighed sadly. "She had such enormous spirit."

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light…" The Doctor mumbled, still half-distracted by his thoughts on Buffy. Shakespeare was thoughtful.

"I might use that."

"You can't. It's someone else's." The Doctor replied, before stretching his muscles. Martha frowned.

"But the thing is, Lynley drowned on dry land, Dolly died of fright and they were both connected to you." She indicated to an offended Shakespeare.

"You're accusing me?"

"No, but I saw a witch, big as you like, flying, cackling away, and you've written about witches."

Shakespeare looked surprised.

"I have? When was that?" Martha flinched, just as the Doctor made the 'cut off' motion with his hands.

"Not, not quite yet."

Shakespeare pretended he hadn't heard what the Doctor had just said. Then something he believed to be important, suddenly occurred to him.

"Peter Streete spoke of witches." He stated.

"Who's Peter Streete?"

"Our builder." Shakespeare explained. "He sketched the plans to the Globe." The Doctor's eyes widened in realisation. Something was nagging at him, and the answer was on the tip of his tongue and just out of reach.

"The architect. Hold on. The architect!" He slammed his fist on the desk triumphantly, startling both Martha and Shakespeare. "The Globe! Come on!" He grabs his trench coat, throws it on and rushes off; followed by Martha and Shakespeare. The trio arrived at the Globe Theatre; where the Doctor, Martha and Shakespeare spent some time trying to decide what inspired the Globe's architect, Peter Streete, to design and build a 14 sided building. Shakespeare was confused about why the Doctor was so focused upon the topic.

"This is just a theatre." He had protested. The Doctor turned and grinned at him with excitement.

"Theatre's magic isn't it?" He explained. "You should know. Standing on this stage, say the right words with the right emphasis at the right time. Oh, you can make men weep, or cry with joy, change them. You can change people's mind just with words in this place. And if you exaggerate that…" He trailed off, leaving them to ponder that. Martha seemed to get it.

"It's like your Police box. Small wooden box with all that power inside." The Doctor beamed at her.

"Oh. Oh, Martha Jones, I like you." Martha grinned back. "But tell you what though. Peter Streete would know." The Doctor turned to Shakespeare. "Can I talk to him?"

* * *

On his way out, Shakespeare had given his finished play to his two main actors, Kempe and Dick, instructing them to copy it and distribute to the others. He requested perfection, just in case her majesty, Queen Elizabeth I, were likely to attend.

"As if. She never does." Shakespeare had muttered dryly. Kempe and Dick read over the script.

" _Love's Labours Won_." Dick read out loud before turning to Kempe and making a face. "I don't think much of sequels. They're never as good as the original." Kempe agreed as he skimmed the rest and frowned.

"Have you seen this last bit? He must've been dozing off when he wrote that. I don't even know what it means."

Dick frowned.

"Well, that goes for most of his stuff." He perked up immediately. "Ah, but at least it's my speech. I get centre stage." He cleared his throat and posed. "The light of Shadmock's hollow moon doth shine on a point in space betwixt Dravidian shores…" A strong gust of wind appears from out of nowhere, surprising both actors.

"What was that?" Kempe asked nervously. Dick shrugged and continued his line.

"Dravidian shores linear 5-9-3-0-1-6…"

* * *

"A spirit stirs the ether."

The three 'witches' were suddenly alert, and gathered around their cauldron seeing an image of Kempe onstage. Not too far away, Buffy stirs from her sleep. Confused, she glances around the room trying to get her bearings and realises she is being held captive in the 'witches' lair. She is also painfully aware of being shackled to the wall.

"What the…?" Buffy mumbled. One of the old 'witches', Doomfinger, starts to panic.

"But too soon. Too soon." Lilith gives a confident smile, and turns to soothe her 'mother'.

"Not to fear, my mothers. It is merely a rehearsal of what's to come." Buffy shifts into a more comfortable position and accidentally jostles her chains causing them to jangle loudly, drawing the three 'witches' attention. "Ah, she awakes." Lilith leaves the cauldron and approaches Buffy who gets to her feet – clumsily because of the chains – and gets into a defensive stance.

"Get away from me." Buffy warns, effortlessly shifting into Slayer mode with every step Lilith took. Lilith was not impressed.

"You are strange. The things I've seen in your head. What are you?" She demands as Buffy smirks.

"You don't wanna go there."

"Why would that be?" Lilith wanted to know. Buffy rose to her full height, getting ready to free herself from the shackles.

"Because then I would have to eliminate you. And that would put a real dampener on my fun adventure." She smiled sweetly at a frowning Lilith. "You wouldn't want to be responsible for that, now would you?" Then the Slayer tore off the shackles like they were pieces of tin foil wrapped around her wrists and kicked out at Lilith, who was caught off guard and crashed into the opposite wall. Doomfinger and her sister Bloodtide immediately converged on Buffy, who turned to face them, keeping her back to the wall and checking her corners for an easy escape, so she could leave and seek out the Doctor.

"No, my mothers! She's strong, too strong! Stay back! Let me handle her." Lilith insisted, and Doomfinger and Bloodtide fell back. Buffy narrowed her eyes. Lilith rose to her feet and palmed something in the pocket of her robes. Buffy was so intent on her desire to escape that she failed to take into account how close Lilith was to the door, so when Buffy was so close she could practically taste fresh air, the 'witch' pounced and snipped a lock of hair from Buffy's head. Horrified, the Slayer clapped a hand to her head.

"What did you do to my hair?" Lilith smirks and holds up the tiny scissors with a lock of Buffy's blonde hair wedged firmly between the blades. Buffy's eyes widen. "What are you going to do with that?" Lilith doesn't reply. Instead, she grabs a puppet and attaches the hair to its head. Immediately, Buffy begins to feel strange.

"Did you really think that escape would be so easy?" Lilith chided her. Buffy remains defiant.

"I don't understand. What did you do to me?" In reply, Lilith holds the puppet over a lit candle. She lowers it and Buffy screams in pain, before taking off her jacket and revealing her arm which was lobster red from being burned. Buffy was horrified. "You're using that thing to control me…" She whispered. Lilith cackled with delight.

"The same way I controlled Mr. Lynley back at the Inn."

"You…!" Buffy charged at her, but Lilith grabbed the arms of the puppet and held them fast, causing Buffy to forcibly stop with her arms held out to the sides as though two invisible people were restraining her. Buffy sank to her knees. "You didn't have to kill him!" She yelled, angrily. Lilith had a smug smile on her face.

"It was necessary. He was going to foil our plans." Buffy frowned.

"Plans? What plans?"

"All in good time, my dear. Now if you don't want your friends to suffer, I suggest you sit down over there and keep quiet." Buffy struggled.

"The Doctor will stop you!" She promised. Lilith didn't look concerned.

"He can try." Then she forces Buffy to her feet and makes her walk towards a nearby stool hidden partially in the shadows. The Slayer is sat upon it. "I think that's enough of your prattling voice. Be silent now." Lilith wraps a piece of cloth around the puppet's mouth and Buffy found herself unable to speak. She gives a muffled squeal. Lilith replaces the puppet-Buffy back inside her robes as she re-joins Doomfinger and Bloodtide at the cauldron. They continue to observe Kempe and Dick rehearing.

"… _and strikes the fulsome grove of Rexel 4."_ Buffy could hear the actor reciting. A horrific sound occurs and the actors go silent, presumably stunned by what they are seeing.

" _By all the saints, it's a spirit."_ The 'spirit' shrieks loudly. _"It's a vile shade."_ The two actors cower in horror and shriek when the creature swoops towards them and then vanishes. _"I think we should never speak of this again, else we'll end up in Bedlam ourselves."_ The voice of the actor fades away, and Lilith and her 'mothers' cackle with delight, while Buffy watches helplessly; willing the Doctor to come find her.

* * *

A jailer leads Shakespeare, the Doctor and Martha through the halls of Bedlam Hospital. Loud screams and moans surround them, and Martha is horrified by the state of the asylum, while the Doctor wears an ugly scowl. Shakespeare is indifferent. The jailer turns to the Doctor, and palms a bullwhip in one of his hands.

"Does my lord, Doctor, wish some entertainment while he waits?" The Doctor looks disgusted by the offer. "I'd whip these madmen. They'll put on a good show for ya. Bandog and Bedlam!"

"No, I don't!" The Doctor glares at the jailer who looks a bit put out. Martha instinctively sidles up to the Doctor, grabbing his arm. For once the Doctor doesn't shy away from physical contact with her. He was just glad that Buffy wasn't here to witness this … and for a split second his fear for her safety reared its head. He needed to find her soon and fast!

"Wait here, my lords, while I make him decent for the lady." The jailer goes and Martha turns on Shakespeare.

"So this is what you call a hospital, yeah? Where the patients are whipped to entertain the gentry? And you put your friend in here?" Shakespeare looks annoyed.

"Oh, and it's all so different in Freedonia." But Martha was on the warpath, unable to see the pain in Shakespeare's eyes.

"But you're clever! Do you honestly think this place is any good?" Shakespeare was quick to defend.

"I've been mad. I've lost my mind." He told Martha, who immediately went quiet. "Fear of this place set me right again. It serves its purpose."

"Mad in what way?" Martha asked cautiously. Shakespeare hesitated, the answer apparently difficult to divulge. So the Doctor filled in the blanks.

"You lost your son." Martha's eyes widened and she immediately felt guilt for the second time since she had been here. She decided she needed to work on her tact, and think things through before putting her opinion out there. Shakespeare nodded.

"My only boy. The Black Death took him. I wasn't even there."

"I didn't know. I'm sorry." Martha immediately apologised. Shakespeare was lost in painful memories.

"It made me question everything. The futility of this fleeting existence. To be or not to be… oh, that quite good." He mused, thoughtfully. The Doctor was amused.

"You should write that down." He suggested. Shakespeare frowned, shaking his head.

"Hm, maybe not. A bit pretentious?"

"This way, m'lord!" The jailor's voice called from down the corridor. The Doctor took the lead and led them down the hall to Peter Streete's cell. When they reach it, the jailer unlocks the door and steps aside to allow the Doctor, Martha and Shakespeare entry. "They can be dangerous, m'lord. Don't know their own strength." He informs them. The Doctor had enough of him.

"I think it helps if you don't whip them! Now get out!" He barks. The jailor scowled before leaving and the Doctor approaches Peter – who was lying on his cot in the foetal position – slowly. "Peter? Peter Streete?" The Doctor calls out to him with a kind, soothing voice. Shakespeare shakes his head sadly.

"He's the same as he was. You'll get nothing out of him." He warns the Doctor, who ignores him. He lays a hand on Peter's shoulder.

"Peter?" The former architect jerks his head up and looks at the Doctor with wild, glassy eyes. It appeared that he wants to speak.

* * *

At the witches' house, Lilith pauses, drawing Buffy's attention. It looked as though she could sense something wrong.

"What is this? I must see." She looks into the cauldron and sees the Doctor with Peter. "That stranger who is associated with the girl." Lilith indicated a scowling Buffy. "He was at the Inn with Shakespeare." Buffy's heart leapt into her throat and her hope soared. _Doctor!_ "I thought that he smelt of something new." Bloodtide looks concerned.

"Now he visits the madhouse. The architect!" Buffy started to panic, frustrated that she couldn't do anything. _Doctor, stop! You're in danger!_ She thought frantically.

* * *

Unaware of his malicious audience, and one very frightened Slayer observing him, the Doctor places his fingertips along Peter's face.

"Peter, I'm the Doctor. Go into the past, one year ago. Let your mind go back, back to when everything was fine and shining." He instructed in a soothing voice. "Everything that happened in this year since happened to somebody else. It was just a story. A winter's tale." He explained. "Let go. Listen." Peter shows signs of cooperation. "That's it, just let go." The Doctor lies Peter down on his cot. "Tell me a story, Peter. Tell me about the witches."

Peter flinches but nevertheless obeys.

* * *

Lilith's face is stony. This Doctor had managed to break through the barriers in the architect's mind, and he was about to discover them. Then it hit her where she had heard about him. She turns to Buffy; a triumphant, gleeful smile on her face as tears sprang to Buffy's eyes.

"So this is the Doctor?" Lilith turns back to the cauldron with interest. "Who is this Doctor? Why does he come now at our time of glory?" She thinks for a moment then turns to Doomfinger. "Doomfinger, transport yourself. Doom the Doctor." Buffy's eyes widen in horror. "Doom his hide." The witch cackles before attending to her task, as Lilith and Bloodtide turn back to the cauldron. Buffy thrashes wildly in her seat, frustrated that she could not break free despite her awesome powers.

 _No! Please, stop!_

* * *

Peter hesitates for a moment, trying to remember what had occurred a year ago when construction of the Globe had commenced.

"Witches spoke to Peter. In the night, they whispered. Got Peter to build the Globe to their design. Their design! The 14 walls, always 14." He pauses, staring wildly. "When work was done…" Peter laughed madly. "They sapped poor Peter's wits." Martha looked down at him with deep sympathy, while Shakespeare looked disturbed by what he was witnessing. The Doctor was grave.

"Where did Peter see the witches? Where in the city?" Peter didn't answer immediately. The Doctor crouched beside him. "Peter, tell me. You've got to tell me where were they?" Peter swallowed.

"All Hallows Street."

"Too many words." Doomfinger materialised beside the Doctor, who nearly jumped out of his skin and moved to stand protectively in front of a wide-eyed Martha.

"What the hell?" Martha blurted out in shock. Doomfinger smirked at all of them, while Peter looked petrified. Doomfinger zeroes in on a helpless Peter.

"Just one touch of the heart." She leans in and the Doctor realises what she's about to do. But his reaction time is too slow, and Doomfinger touches Peter's chest.

"NOOO!" The Doctor hollers in alarm, but Peter dies. Shakespeare is freaking out.

"Witch! I'm seeing a witch!" Doomfinger eyes them off.

"Who would be next, hmmm? Just one touch." Lilith and Bloodtide cackle from over their cauldron, as Buffy grieves for the loss. "Oh, oh, I'll stop your frantic hearts. Poor, fragile mortals." Martha rushes for the jail cell door.

"Let us out! Let us out!" She begs frantically. The Doctor agrees, but knows Martha's shouting is a lost cause.

"That's not gonna work. The whole building's shouting that." He tells her dryly, still eying off the witch in front of him. Doomfinger wags her finger at them all, taunting them.

"Who will die first, hmm?" The Doctor's face hardened and takes a step forward deliberately.

"Well, if you're looking for volunteers." Martha (and Buffy at the witches' house) protest big time.

"No! Don't!" ( _'Don't be a moron, Doctor!')_ They beg. Doomfinger sneers as Shakespeare finally finds the words to speak after recovering from the shock of seeing a 'real life' witch before his very eyes.

"Doctor, can you stop her?" He asks, urgently. Doomfinger is confident and cocky.

"No mortal has power over me."

"Oh? But there's a power in words." The Doctor tells her casually, his voice pleasant. "If I can find the right one, if I can just know you…"

"None on Earth has knowledge of us." Doomfinger insists, but looks a little nervous. The Doctor was not what he appeared. The Doctor grinned.

"Then it's a good thing I am here. Now think, think, think… Humanoid female, uses shapes and words to channel energy … ah, 14! That's it! 14! The 14 stars of the Raxel planetary configuration!" Doomfinger, Lilith and Bloodtide paled. The Doctor's eyes narrow in triumph. "Creature, I name you Carrionite!"

Doomfinger screams and disappears. Martha and Shakespeare are amazed.

"What did you do?" Martha demands.

"I named her. The power of a name. That's old magic." The Doctor is breathing hard. The fact that he knew that Carrionites were loose in Elizabethan England now, meant that the urge to find Buffy safe and sound was now more urgent than ever!

"But there's no such thing as magic." Martha protests. The Doctor shrugs impatiently.

"Well, it's just a different sort of science. You lot, you chose mathematics. Given the right string of numbers, the right equation, you can split the atom. Carrionites use words instead." He explained.

"Use them for what?" Shakespeare asked. The Doctor looked at Martha and Shakespeare gravely.

"The end of the world."

* * *

If Buffy was able to grin with triumph, she would've. But instead she settled for doing a dance in her chair. Lilith and Bloodtide react with dismay when Doomfinger returned, wheezing and looking very much afraid.

"He knows us! He spoke our name!" A very dark look passed over Lilith's face, and Buffy realised that the Doctor now had a large target on his back. Lilith was out for blood.

"Then he will know death." She promised, darkly. "He will perish at my hand. My mothers, the time approaches. You must away to the Globe. Go! I will join you." Doomfinger and Bloodtide grin nastily before leaving. Lilith cast a gaze down at the image of the Doctor still displayed within the cauldron. "As soon as this Doctor screams his last." Buffy felt helpless, even more so when Lilith suddenly turned her way and advanced towards her; a calculating glint in her eye. "You shall be part of my plan to stop the Doctor, my dear." Buffy protested even when Lilith used the puppet-Buffy to force the Slayer to rise from her seat and walk towards the centre of the room. The Carrionite grinned. "Now to set the bait. You never did tell me your name, so I will name it for you: _'I gaze upon this shroud of covers, and now I name thee: Buffy Summers.'"_ Buffy's fearful green eyes rolled up into her head and fainted dead out, falling forward. Lilith merely sidestepped the falling Slayer and Buffy collapsed on the hard wooden floor in a mess of limbs. Her forehead started bleeding from where she had hit her head. Lilith tilted her head curiously. "Interesting. The name has less impact here." She pocketed the puppet. "The board is set... the pieces are moving."

Lilith melted back into the shadows, leaving Buffy in the middle of the room; bathed in silvery moonlight.

* * *

At the Globe Theatre, the crowd is gathering for the premiere of Shakespeare's sequel to ' _Love's Labour's Lost_ ', unaware of the danger they are all in. Actors are making final preparations, and pretty soon the opening fanfare sounds and Dick steps out in costume.

"We left the lovers of Navarre by cruel chance separated, none to claim his heart, their labour's lost. Now will they find Love's Labour's Won?!" The audience cheers and applauds.

Sitting in a private booth all by themselves, and grinning sinisterly was Bloodtide and Doomfinger.

* * *

Back at the Inn, in Shakespeare's room; the Doctor is looking at a map of London. He finds his mark.

"All Hallows Street. There it is." He turns to Martha. "Martha, we'll track them down." Turns to Shakespeare. "Will, you get to the Globe. Whatever you do, stop that play!" Shakespeare nods emphatically.

"I'll do it." He shakes the Doctor's hand. "All these years I've been the cleverest man around. Next to you, I know nothing." Martha smiled affectionately.

"Oh, don't complain."

"I'm not. It's marvellous." He reassures her with a wink. "Good luck, Doctor." The Doctor smiles.

"Good luck, Shakespeare." He returns the luck then rushes for the door. "Once more unto the breach!" He yells as he goes. Shakespeare grins.

"I like that." Then he frowns in realisation. "Wait a minute … that's one of mine." He yells in surprise. The Doctor pokes his head around the door.

"Oh, just shift!" He exclaims with slight irritation and disappears.

* * *

The play is currently in session. The actors are on stage and Dick is cradling a 'dying' Kempe.

 _"The eye should have contentment where it rests. This spun-out year I watch on, groaning sick…"_ Doomfinger and Bloodtide have in their possession a small crystal ball, which is emitting a blue light. Screeching noises closely described as nails running down a chalkboard is coming from the ball. Bloodtide coos at it.

"Patience, my sisters. Patience."

 _"… Mewling poor drooped men in stenched beds…"_ Just then Shakespeare bursts in through the door onstage.

"Stop the play! I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but stop. This performance must end immediately!" He orders. Dick eyes Shakespeare in irritation.

"Everyone's a critic…" He mutters. Bloodtide reacts.

"The wordsmith!"

"Fear not. I have the doll." Doomfinger produces a replica of Shakespeare from her robes and holds it out. Bloodtide grins.

"I'm sorry." Shakespeare apologises sincerely. "You'll get a refund." The audience boos Shakespeare. "But this play must not be performed!" Doomfinger knocks the puppet with her hand and Shakespeare falls unconscious to the stage. Both Dick, Kempe and the other actors eye Shakespeare incredulously.

"Is he drunk or what?" Kempe whispers to Dick, who gestures frantically for him to get Shakespeare off stage.

"Get him off the stage!" Dick whispers back hoarsely. The audience laughs and Shakespeare is picked up and carried off by the other actors. Kempe starts to improvise.

"You must forgive our irksome Will." He began, wracking his brains for a rhyme. "He's been on the beer and feeling ill." The audience laughs again and cheers. Doomfinger and Bloodtide sit back, smug.

"There is naught can stop us now." Doomfinger declares arrogantly.

* * *

The Doctor and Martha front up to All Hallows Street, unknowingly in front of Lilith's house. He is just inches away from the object of his current thoughts, now lying unconscious only a few feet away from them.

"All Hallows Street, but which house?" The Doctor wonders. Martha is confused about something.

"The thing is, though … am I missing something here? The world didn't end in 1599. It just didn't. Look at me, look at Buffy…" She winces when she notices the Doctor tense up at the thought of their missing companion. But she presses on with her point. "We're living proof." The Doctor is getting anxious.

"Oh, how to explain the mechanics of the infinite temporal flux?" He frowns, thinking, then comes up with an appropriate pop culture reference to help describe it to Martha. "I know! ' _Back to the Future'!_ It's like ' _Back to the Future'!"_ He explains. Martha frowned, still not getting it.

"The film?"

"No, the novelisation." He gives her a weird look. "Yes, the film. Marty McFly goes back and changes history."

"And he starts fading away…" Her eyes widen and the Doctor gives her a knowing look. "Oh my God, am I gonna fade?" He nods, getting serious.

"You, Buffy and the entire human race. It ends right now in 1599 if we don't stop it." He despairs. "But which house?" And just like Buffy before, the door to Lilith's house slowly opens. The Doctor gives it a quizzical look. "Ah, make that _witch_ house." He and Martha immediately rush inside.

* * *

Martha is the first to notice Buffy when she and the Doctor barrel into the room. Her blood runs cold.

"Doctor…" He comes up behind Martha and looks in the direction of Buffy. His hearts stop. He immediately rushes over to the fallen Slayer and rolls her onto her back. Martha gasps when she sees the bloody gash on Buffy's forehead, and immediately searches for her pulse. The Doctor is enraged, thinking the worst. But then Martha relaxes and places a hand on the Doctor's shoulder. "She's still alive." That does nothing to soothe the fire of the Doctor's anger. He gathers Buffy up into his arms and cradles her to his chest, as Lilith steps into view.

"I take it we're expected." The Doctor observes, indicating towards Buffy. His voice was slow and steady, hiding the rage within. Martha gives him a frightened look; she'd never seen him that angry before. Lilith doesn't disguise her glee.

"Oh, I think Death has been waiting for you for a very long time." She retorts, walking behind her cauldron. "Buffy there was just the lure." The Doctor bristles and Martha stands, ready to defend her.

"Right then, it's my turn." She steps forward before the Doctor could stop her. "I know how to do this." She points at Lilith. "I name thee, Carrionite!" Lilith gives a fake gasp before cackling wickedly. Martha is confused and turns towards the Doctor.

"What did I do wrong? Was it the finger?" He doesn't answer.

"The power of a name works only once. Observe." Lilith points at Martha who takes a step back and gulps. _"I gaze upon this bag of bones, and now I name thee Martha Jones."_ Like Buffy, Martha's eyes roll up into her head and she slumps to the ground. The Doctor quickly puts Buffy down gently and grabs Martha before she could hurt herself, lowering her to the ground. This attack on his other companion only fuels his anger. He spins on Lilith.

"What have you done!?" He snarls. Lilith, instead of looking triumphant, is frowning in bemusement.

"Only sleeping, alas." Lilith's eyes darted over towards Buffy when the Slayer moaned in her sleep and opened her eyes. The Doctor, hearing her, turns and assists her into a seated position.

"Buffy! Are you alright?" Buffy, overjoyed to see him, touches his face and immediately starts crying. Alarmed, the Doctor immediately hugs her and feels the wetness gathering on his shoulder and glares at Lilith accusingly. "What did you do to her?" Lilith smiled.

"The same thing I did to Martha. And like Buffy, the name has less impact. Both of them are somehow out of their time." The Doctor's eyes narrowed, dangerous and ruthless.

"But you've also done something else." He insisted. Lilith was surprised; the Doctor was extremely intuitive. He pulls back from Buffy, who looks at him with puffy, red, accusing eyes. "I'm sorry, Buffy. I just need to examine you. Please?" Buffy hesitated, before nodding and closing her eyes, tears still leaking out of them. The Doctor's hardened face, softens a little at her distress and he wipes away her tears. Then he uses his sonic screwdriver and waves it over Buffy from head to toe. The results were not promising. He looks at Lilith, appalled. "She's been gagged. Why?!" Buffy folds herself back into his arms, and the Doctor tightens the embrace as he waits for the reply.

"She was asking too many questions." Lilith replied simply. "As for you, Sir Doctor!" She points at him, expecting a reaction. He doesn't react. "Fascinating. There is no name. Why would a man hide his title in such despair?" Then Lilith observes the almost possessive way he is holding Buffy, and a cruel smirk spreads across her face. "I see." Then she notices something else. "Oh, but look. There's still one word with the power that aches." The Doctor's eyes flashed as he gently disengages himself from Buffy and indicates for her to attend to Martha.

"The naming won't work on me." He states as Buffy crawls over to Martha, but stops halfway there. Buffy smashes her fists onto the wooden floor with frustration, creating a dint in the woodwork, and the Doctor looks at her with worry before increasing the glare on Lilith. "What are you doing to Buffy?" Lilith ignores the question.

"Your heart grows cold. The north wind blows and carries down the distant … Rose." The Doctor snaps his head towards Lilith and stands.

"Big mistake. Not only does that name keep me fighting! But you've attacked and used Buffy to get to me … and that is unforgivable!" Buffy looks over at him with wide eyes. She shakes her head frantically. "The Carrionites vanished! Where did you go?" He demands, ignoring Buffy's attempts to stop him. Lilith decides to humour him.

"The Eternals found the right word to banish us into deep darkness."

"And how did you escape?" The Doctor demanded.

"New words. New and glittering from a mind like no other." Lilith explained, fingering the tiny scissors in her robes. Buffy's eyes zeroed in on the subtle movement and she silently makes her plans to incapacitate Lilith. The Doctor was oblivious.

"Shakespeare."

"His son perished." Lilith glanced at Shakespeare's tearful image in the cauldron, obviously a reflection on events that had already transpired. "The grief of a genius. Grief without measure. Madness enough to allow us entrance."

"How many of you?"

"Just the three." Lilith replied quickly, then smiled coyly at him. "But the play tonight shall restore the rest. Then the human race will be purged as pestilence. And from this world we will lead the universe back to the old ways of blood and magic." The Doctor nodded thoughtfully.

"Hmm… busy schedule … but first you gotta get past me." He stands face-to-face with Lilith. Buffy uses this as her chance to creep silently over to Lilith. The Carrionite smiles seductively at the Doctor.

"Oh, that should be a pleasure considering my enemy has such a handsome shape." Buffy makes a disgusted face as Lilith runs her fingers along his face. The Doctor also isn't too impressed.

"Now, that's one form of magic that's definitely not gonna work on me." He tells her, dryly, not realising Lilith had a hidden agenda. Lilith smiles a secret smile.

"Oh, we'll see." She yanks a lock of hair from his head and backs away, only to be rugby tackled by Buffy as the Doctor fingers his head with confusion. The Doctor widens his eyes in alarm.

"No! Buffy!" The Slayer ignores him, in her attempt to protect him from being controlled via a puppet. Unfortunately, Lilith is one step ahead of Buffy and simply 'snaps' the puppet-Buffy's arm; breaking the real arm in the process. Buffy gives a muffled scream as the Doctor rushes forward to her side. He glares at Lilith. "What did you do?" He demands then notices the lock of his hair in Lilith's possession.

"Souvenir." She replies succinctly.

"Well, give it back!" He demands and charges at her. Buffy sinks to the ground, cradling her arm as Lilith throws up her arms and the window behind her opens. She flies out backwards, levitating outside. The Doctor is reluctantly impressed. "Well, that's just cheating." He mutters. Lilith grins with triumph.

"Behold, Doctor. Men to Carrionites are nothing but puppets." She produces another puppet and wraps his hair about it. Martha slowly wakes up and sees the Doctor at the window and Buffy sitting beside him, tears falling down her face and cradling an obviously broken arm. She crawls to Buffy. The Doctor suddenly connects the dots and looks between Buffy and the puppet-Doctor in Lilith's hands and realises that there must be a puppet-Buffy in her possession.

"Now, you might call that magic… I'd call that a DNA replication module." He states. Lilith scoffs.

"What use is your science now?" She stabs the doll with the tiny scissors, causing the Doctor to cry out in pain and fall to the floor. Martha looks on in horror and Buffy gives an anguished groan. It was made worse because she knew it was going to happen; but for obvious reasons she wasn't able warn him. Lilith cackles and flies away. Buffy crawls over to the Doctor and Martha rushes to his side.

"Oh my God! Doctor! Don't worry, I've got you." Martha rolls him onto his back and listens for a heartbeat. She frowns. "Hold on, Mister. Two hearts?" The Doctor cracks open an eye and grins at both Buffy and Martha.

"We're making a habit of this." He springs to his feet and nearly falls again. "Aahh!" Martha supports him, as Buffy struggles to her own feet. "I've only got one heart working. How do you people cope?" He bitches at the girls, who roll their eyes. "I've got to get the other one started. Hit me! Hit me on the chest!" Buffy hits him on the left side and his knees nearly buckle. "Aahh! Other side!" He gasps. Martha hits him on the right side. "On the back! On the back!" Martha hits him again. "Left a bit!" Buffy hits him. "Ahh, lovely." He stands. "There we go! Ba-da-boom!" He then turns and addresses Buffy, who is staring at him mystified. "Now, let's take care of you, sweetheart." He gently takes Buffy's arm in his hands and examines it with his sonic.

"Maybe I should do that, Doctor. You need to go and deal with those Carrionite things." Martha suggested, slightly jealous of the tender look Buffy was receiving from the Doctor. He immediately agrees and tosses Martha a triangular bandage he produced from one of his pockets.

"Catch up when you're done!" He calls and rushes from the room. Martha and Buffy nodded as Martha examines and then puts Buffy's arm up into the sling.

"I'll examine it more thoroughly when we've dealt with this mess." Buffy nods, and Martha frowns at her for her lack of words. "Are you alright, Buffy?" The Slayer shakes her head no, and Martha realises what has happened. Her eyes narrow. "Let go kick some ass."

Buffy smirks and nods enthusiastically.

* * *

 **A/N: It looks like the Doctor's feelings for Buffy are becoming a bit more obvious, huh? Can't wait to explore that in the next chapter. Please review constructively as always. TTFN xx**


	7. Shall I Compare Thee To a Summer's Day?

**Part three of the 'Buffy version' of 'The Shakespeare Code'. This chapter also has an improvised moment between the Doctor and Buffy, the morning after the Carrionites are defeated and before the Doctor takes Buffy and Martha on their next adventure together. I hope it does justice. Enjoy peoples.**

 **I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson.** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ **© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions. Cheers xx**

* * *

" **SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER'S DAY?"**

" _And is it worth the wait, all this killing time? Are you strong enough to stand, protecting both your heart and mine?"  
_ _ **~Florence + the Machine: 'Heavy In Your Arms' (Lungs – The B Sides [2011])**_

* * *

' _Love's Labour's Won'_ is well and truly pushing on and Doomfinger and Bloodtide are watching the actors with interest, as are the audience standing in the pit below. The two wheezened Carrionites eye Lilith as she joins them in their box. A satisfied smile on her face.

"The Doctor?" Doomfinger inquired. Lilith sits down in between her mothers, and nods confirming.

"Dead."

Both of the older Carrionites smile wickedly before turning their attention back to the oblivious actors and patrons below. Dick is reciting his heart out.

 _"The ladies have prepared a show. Maria means to present Isis descending from the dewy orb of Heaven."_ The double doors behind him on stage opens and Kempe steps in. _"Ah, here comes Costard."_ The audience cheers and Kempe bows, beaming at the audience in greeting.

 _"Masters!"_

* * *

In the streets, running as fast as their legs could carry them in the limited time they have; the Doctor, Buffy and Martha race down the streets. Suddenly, the Doctor changes direction unexpectedly. Martha realises his mistake.

"We're going the wrong way!" And Buffy nods frantically, agreeing. The Doctor yells back.

"No, we're not!" The girls roll their eyes at the Doctor's stubbornness and wait for him to come to the same realisation as they had. About two seconds later, the Doctor stops and suddenly reverses course. "We're going the wrong way!" Buffy wished she had the ability to speak. This would've been the perfect time to blurt out: 'Duh!'

* * *

The Globe Theatre is ticking time bomb. And the Carrionites are calmly waiting for the timer to tick out, so their plan could fully come into play.

 _"Behold the swainish sight of women's love. Pish! It's out of season to be heavy disposed."_ Dick continues. Lilith turns to her mothers.

"It is now, my mothers. The final words to activate the tetradecagon." All eyes zero in on Dick.

 _"Betwixt Dravidian shores and linear five nine three oh one six seven point oh two, and strikes the fulsome grove of Rexel Four. Co-radiating crystal, activate!"_ A strong wind fills the theatre.

"The portal opens. It begins!" Lilith confirms.

* * *

In Southwark, a red glow can be seen hanging over the Globe. And sounds of screaming is heard. The Doctor, Buffy and Martha skid to a halt and watch with horror. The preacher that they had seen when they first arrived in Elizabethan England, stands among the crowd gathering to watch the spectacle; points.

"I told thee so! I told thee!" He says excitedly, but nevertheless still looking equally as terrified and confused as the rest of the crowd. The Doctor breaks away from the growing crowd, grabbing Buffy's hand as he does and takes off running again with Martha following close.

"Stage door!" He directs them.

* * *

The Doctor, Buffy and Martha burst through the backstage doors just as a storm starts to rage over the building. The screams coming from the audience picks up in volume and they immediately start running for their lives, however the Carrionites had anticipated this and magically slam the doors shut to stop them from leaving. Frustrated, the Doctor finds a groggy and in pain Shakespeare trying to sit up from where the other actors had laid him down after 'escorting' him off stage in mid-performance. He leads Buffy and Martha over to him.

"Stop the play. I think that was it. Yeah, I said, stop the play!" The Doctor yells at Shakespeare in annoyance. Shakespeare winces at his voice and groans.

"I hit my head."

"Yeah, don't rub it, you'll go bald." The Doctor mutters. The screams increase on stage and all four of them turn towards the curtain blocking the scene from view. He grins. "I think that's my cue!" He dashes towards the curtain.

"Doctor, wait for us!" Martha calls, before she and Buffy race after him with Shakespeare following warily. Out in their booth, the Carrionites are in their element.

"Now begins the millennium of blood!" They chant, before cackling gleefully. However, they stop the second the Doctor runs out onto the stage, followed by Buffy, Martha and Shakespeare. Lilith frowns.

"The Doctor! He lives." The Doctor's brown, ever inquisitive eyes dart around search for the source of the panic, before they zero in on their booth. Then he stands there and just fixes them with a determined glare as he desperately tries to think of a plan to stop them. Lilith smirks. "Then watch the world become a blasted heath!" She raises the crystal orb she held in her hands high into the air. "They come. They come!" The crystal enters the red light and bat-like creatures fly into the theatre. They circle a bit then fly up into the sky.

The Doctor turns towards a fearful Shakespeare and turns the bard to face him.

"Come on, Will! History needs you!" He urges him. Shakespeare stares back incredulously.

"But what can I do?"

"Reverse it!" The Doctor replied, like it was obvious. Shakespeare looked pained, and backed into a corner.

"How am I supposed to do that?" The Doctor sighs impatiently.

"The shape of the Globe gives words power, but you're the wordsmith, the one true genius. The only man clever enough to do it." Shakespeare looks flattered, but no less doubtful.

"But what words? I have none ready!"

"You're William Shakespeare!"

"But these Carrionite phrases, they need such precision." He explains to the Doctor, trying to get the Time Lord to understand why he was hesitating. But the Doctor smiles encouragingly.

"Trust yourself. When you're locked away in your room, the words just come don't they, like magic. Words of the right sound, the right shape, the right rhythm. Words that last forever." The Doctor explains. "That's what you do, Will. You choose perfect words. Do it. Improvise." He insists. Shakespeare hesitates for several seconds more, before he nods and his face shifts into one of determination and he turns to face the Carrionites high up in their booth.

 _"Close up this din of hateful, dire decay, decomposition of your witches' plot. You thieve my brains, consider me your toy. My doting Doctor tells me I am not!"_ Lilith stiffens, sensing a change.

"No! Words of power!"

Shakespeare, now that the words are being spoken, is now feeling excessively confident, and the Doctor grins with triumph. Both Martha and Buffy watch with awed expressions, and Buffy jumps when a hand slides into hers and grips it tight. She glances over at the owner of the hand and smiles when she realises that it is the Doctor.

 _"Foul Carrionite spectres, cease your show! Between the points…"_ Shakespeare glances at the Doctor for assistance.

"Seven, six, one, three, nine, oh!"

 _"Seven, six, one, three, nine, oh!"_ He echoes. _"Bewitched like a tinker's cuss, I say to thee:"_ Shakespeare pauses, hesitating, searching for the right word. He glances at the Doctor but even he is stuck. Finally, Martha comes up with the goods and rushes forward.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Expelliarmus!" The Doctor agrees and Shakespeare makes a face, but decides to use it.

 _"Expelliarmus!"_ The Doctor makes a grin so wide it threatens to split his face in half.

"Good old J.K.!" He cheers, as the Carrionites scream in terror and anguish. Lilith is horrified.

"The deep darkness! They are consumed!" The Carrionites are sucked into a tornado, along with all the extant pages of the play. The Doctor is amused, and squeezes back when Buffy excitedly squeezes his hand once again.

" _'Love's Labour's Won'_ there it goes!" He mutters, dryly. The sky clears with a flash and bang, then after a few minutes; one the stunned but relieved audience members starts clapping. Then the audience joins in. The Doctor lets go of Buffy's hand and sneaks off backstage. However the Slayer goes after him, with a questioning look deep in her green eyes. The Doctor gives her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Buffy. I'll be back in a mo!" He promises.

Buffy nods and turns back, missing the warm smile on the Doctor's face fade to one of disappointment and anger. Now that everything was safe and back to normal, the Doctor needed to have a word with Buffy about her resent actions. Buffy yelps in surprise when Martha suddenly darts forward and grabs Buffy's hand, tugging the teenager to her side. Apparently, even Martha was being overprotective of the Slayer as well. Martha is feeling bemused by the audience's reaction to what had just taken place.

"They think it was all special effects?" Shakespeare sidles up to Martha, and leans in to whisper in her ear.

"Your effect is special indeed." He leers, and Buffy pulls a revolted face. Martha smiles politely back at him.

"It's not your best line."

Shakespeare isn't affected, as he, Martha and a very reluctant Buffy take their bows. Up in the booths, the Doctor comes across Lilith's and goes in. He finds two items that the Carrionites had left behind when they were sucked away by the tornado: the crystal orb – which the Doctor could see Lilith, Doomfinger and Bloodtide shrieking and scratching at the glass to get at him – and the puppet-Buffy Lilith had created with Buffy's DNA to control the Slayer. The Doctor was angry to see a piece of fabric had been tied around its mouth.

He promptly removes it before withdrawing from the booth.

* * *

The next morning, Buffy awoke in the bedroom she was sharing with both the Doctor and Martha at the Inn. Bright sunshine was threatening to burn the corneas of Buffy's eyes and she groans and throws the blanket over her head to block out the light.

"Ten more minutes…" She groans groggily, before sitting upright in bed with shock when she realised that she could speak again. A relieved smile spreads across Buffy's face.

"Good morning." Buffy turns her head towards the unexpected voice, and saw the Doctor standing near the bedroom door. He was casually leaning against the wall, and avoiding direct eye contact with the Slayer. Alarm bells pealed loudly in Buffy's head. _Uh oh…_ She sighed, and smoothed her long blonde hair behind her ear.

"Hi." She replied, feeling slightly uncomfortable in the Doctor's presence at that moment. "Where's Martha?" Buffy asked, not seeing any of Martha's belongings in the room.

The Doctor sighed.

"Out having breakfast with Shakespeare. I asked her to meet us back at the Globe Theatre when they've done." He explained. Buffy nodded, but said nothing in reply. The Doctor straightened up and gestured towards her arm. "How does your arm feel? Is there any pain?" Buffy glanced down at her arm, belatedly realising that she was still wearing the sling. Martha had given it a more thorough once over and confirmed that it was just severely sprained, not broken. But it would require several days rest to fully recover.

Buffy at the time had doubted that; as the Slayer, her healing factor was accelerated and she healed faster than the average human. Quite possibly her arm was fully functional. _Thank God for fast recovery time…_ She thought as she wordlessly removed the sling and tossed it to the foot of the bed. This earned a raised eyebrow from the Doctor at this unorthodox move.

"All healed." She replied quietly and turned away.

Buffy wasn't an idiot.

She knew that the Doctor was angry with her; and she didn't blame him for being so either. What she did was reckless, dangerous and irresponsible; but she'd do it again in a heartbeat. Particularly if it meant the difference between the life and death of any innocent. Buffy realised that she was in for a scolding and possibly a lecture from the Doctor. Hell, it's what Giles would do, why shouldn't the Doctor – an obviously older man with different values and opinions – be any different? The Doctor frowned in astonishment and produced a pair of thin wire-framed glasses from one of his pockets, putting them on.

"May I?" He asked politely, but with the same clipped, angry but disappointed tone in his voice. Buffy nodded and extended her arm towards the Doctor who came over and sat on the edge of the bed. He produced his sonic screwdriver and carefully took her arm with his long, elegant and slightly calloused hands. Almost immediately after the Doctor touched her, Buffy felt a bolt of desire that made her heart skip a beat, which the Doctor mistook as a reaction to pain. "Are you alright?" He asked with concern.

Buffy quickly, but gently removed her arm from him and nodded.

"Yeah." She said, quietly.

Buffy flung aside the blanket and got out of the bed, making her way over to a water basin; while the Doctor remained where he was and watched her. She could feel his gaze upon her back as she went on with her morning routines. But still he didn't say a word. Buffy was starting to get annoyed. Why delay the inevitable? She had just finished twisting her hair back into a messy knot, and scooped up some water in her hands to splash on her face when the Doctor finally spoke.

"You do realise that you could've very well been killed last night, don't you Buffy?" She bristled, but splashed the water on her face. Reaching for the nearby towel, she responded.

"Yeah."

"Did you know that it was stupid and reckless?" He demanded. Buffy pat down her face with the rough towel.

"Yeah."

"So why did you do it?" Buffy sighed before undoing the knot and letting her long, blonde hair fall down her back and turned to go and retrieve her leather jacket, which she had draped over a chair the night before.

"Why do I do a lot of things, Doctor?" She retorted, tersely. "My question is, why do you care?" Then suddenly, the Doctor was there. He reached out and grabbed a startled Buffy by the arms and turning her to face him. She was shocked to see not only anger in his brown eyes, but also vulnerability and desperation. Like he was trying hard not to reveal what he really wanted to say to her.

"I care, Buffy, because I don't want the responsibility of living with the very real possibility that you could die; and your loved ones back home would be none the wiser. Could you imagine the pain of not knowing? It is unpleasant." Buffy narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"I didn't ask you to make this your responsibility." She stated, quietly. "I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself, Doctor. I have been doing so since my parents divorced and when I learned that I was the Slayer; destined to fight for my life every second of every day." The Doctor smoothed back her hair behind her ear, and gazed into her eyes with a stern, no nonsense glare.

"Just promise me that you won't do that again, Buffy." He urged, gravely.

Buffy frowned, now curious. "Why are you getting so worked up over this? I was following my instincts as a Slayer."

The Doctor let go of Buffy and started to pace. Tears were threatening in his eyes, surprising Buffy as she normally saw the Doctor as a somewhat composed, tough person with a hell of a lot of energy and a cheerful, happy-go-lucky attitude. Unless you pissed him off; then God help you. Then something else occurred to her. Was the Doctor hiding something from her? She studied him, and thought back very carefully on what he had told her about giving a damn. Nothing glaringly obvious jumped out at her, but she did remember the tone he was using … and it was unusual; at least when he was directing it towards her of all people.

The Doctor wasn't treating her like she assumed he would: like a parent scolding or correcting his child who had misbehaved or deliberately disobeyed him. He was treating Buffy like a worried lover, who had just witnessed his partner in grave danger, and had been scared shitless to the point that he'd made her promise to never put him in that position again. _But that's impossible…_ Buffy thought. The Doctor wasn't in love with her. Her eyes widened in shock. _Or was he…?_

Buffy decided to test her theory. It was cruel and very immoral, but she had already put herself in this same position once-upon-a-time when she was a freshman at Hemery High with her friend, Billy Fordham. She had a childhood crush on him that got so bad that she had convinced herself that he returned her feelings. He didn't, and she was embarrassed and vowed to herself never to fantasise a potential relationship when there was none.

Because it was a fact; Buffy was most definitely attracted to the Doctor. It wasn't love, not quite yet, but the feelings for him were there. She just hoped that it wasn't some cruel, unforgivable trick that fate was playing against them. Summoning her courage, she hesitantly asked the Doctor a question that would make or break her heart.

"Are you telling me everything?" She asked. He froze, and turned slowly to look at her. "What aren't you telling me, Doctor?" Buffy came over and cupped his face, trying to calm him down. Then his eyes widened in fear, as though he had just realised something as well. And he hastily broke away.

"Of course, I've told you everything. Absolutely." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. He moved slowly for the door. "I'll let you finish getting ready. Meet me downstairs, and we'll go the Globe together." Buffy nodded solemnly and the Doctor left the room, almost tripping as he went.

Buffy was stunned.

He lied to her! The Doctor absolutely lied, she saw it in his eyes. She had never before in her life been correct about something she suspected. But of all the things to be right about. The Doctor loved her. Or at least reciprocated her feelings enough to be interesting in seeing where the relationship could go. Saying those three words, could be very dangerous if the intent wasn't pure.

"Well, I'll be damned…" She whispered, then laughed incredulously. Buffy was very happy about this unexpected outcome, but also a bit sad as well. There was one other person that this unintended admission of feelings affected as well.

Which made Buffy wonder: _What about Rose?_

* * *

The Doctor and Buffy made their way back to the Globe Theatre for the very last time. And the whole time, the Doctor avoided all eye contact with the young Slayer and maintained a respectable distance from Buffy. Enough that they weren't immediately touching, but close enough that the Doctor would be able to grab Buffy and run or move out of the way if the need arose. And Buffy respected that, because she suspected the Doctor was probably mentally beating himself up, and thinking he was betraying his feelings for Rose that he had accumulated overtime. And while the idea hurt, and she didn't want to; Buffy was a decent, respectful person and would rather step aside and allow the Doctor to be happy with someone else rather than becoming cold and resentful of her because he had made the wrong decision. She needed to let him make up his own mind, and ironically, only time would dictate what happened next.

Upon arriving at the Globe, the Doctor made a beeline for the backstage area; leaving a weary Buffy to make her way over to a bewildered Martha and oblivious Shakespeare. It seemed that they were in the process of exchanging jokes with each other. Buffy sighed and decided to kick back on the stage and do some cloud watching; a favourite pastime she, Willow and Xander had discovered one particularly boring school day.

"…And I say, a heart for a hart and a dear for a deer." Shakespeare finished his joke and both Buffy and Martha searched for the elusive punch line.

"I don't get it." Martha said eventually.

"Then give me a joke from Freedonia." Shakespeare requested, laughing. Martha shrugged.

"Okay. Shakespeare walks into a pub and the landlord says: 'Oi mate, you're Bard.'" Shakespeare gave a belly laugh that confused both Martha and Buffy. Both girls didn't think the joke was _that_ funny.

"That's brilliant. Doesn't make sense, mind you, but never mind that." He wraps an arm around Martha's waist and pulls her towards him. "Come here." Buffy looked over with interest.

Martha frowned.

"I've only just met you." She protested. Shakespeare grinned at her.

"The Doctor may never kiss you." He tells her, and Buffy snorted in amusement. _Damn straight, he wants to do that with me. But he's stubborn…_ "Why not entertain a man who will?" Shakespeare asks Martha who wrinkles her nose. After a few seconds, Martha clears her throat uncomfortably.

"I don't know how to tell you this, oh great genius, but your breath doesn't half stink." Buffy tried to stifle a laugh, and almost fell off the stage. The Doctor chose that moment to walk on stage wearing a small stiff ruff and carrying an animal skull. The Slayer sat up and gave the Doctor a brilliant smile, and the Doctor returned it with a warm one of his own. He turns to Shakespeare.

"Good props store back there. I'm not sure about this though." He holds up the skull and frowns down at it. "Reminds me of a Sycorax." Shakespeare hones in on the word.

"Sycorax. Nice word. I'll have that off you as well." He tells the Doctor, who shakes his head.

"I should be on 10%" He mutters before coming over to examine his head. "How's your head?"

"Still aching." Shakespeare admits. The Doctor takes off the ruff collar and puts it on Shakespeare.

"Neck brace. Wear that for a few days till it's better. Although, you might want to keep it. It suits you." He complements him, as he stands next to Buffy. Martha stood up and approached the Doctor.

"What about the play?"

"Gone. I looked all over. Every single copy of _'Love's Labour's Won'_ went up in the sky." He reported. Shakespeare looked a little put out.

"My lost masterpiece." Buffy smiled.

"You could write it up again." Then faltered when she noticed the stern look the Doctor was throwing her. She poked her tongue out at the Doctor childishly, earning a look of amusement.

"Yeah, better not, Will. There's still power in those words. Maybe it should best stay forgotten." He suggested. Shakespeare shook his head.

"Oh, but I've got new ideas. Perhaps it's time I wrote about fathers and sons, in memory of my boy, my precious Hamnet." Both Martha and Buffy froze and looked at him with surprise.

"Hamnet?" Buffy stated. Shakespeare nodded, looking bemused.

"That's him."

"Ham-net?" Martha enunciated, just be make sure she heard the name correctly. Shakespeare frowned.

"What's wrong with that?" The Doctor intercepted.

"Anyway, time we were off. I've got a nice attic in the TARDIS where this lot can scream for all eternity, and I've got to take Martha back to Freedonia and Buffy back to California." Buffy's face fell when said that so matter-of-factly, and hoped that he wasn't serious about that. Shakespeare had a secret smile on his face.

"You mean to travel on through time and space." The Doctor froze and stared at him with wide eyes.

"You what?"

"You're from another world like the Carrionites, and Martha and Buffy are from the future. It's not hard to work out." Shakespeare replied, with a smug little smirk on his face. Buffy rolled her eyes. _Add it up it all spells 'duh'…_ The Doctor was impressed.

"That's incredible. You are incredible." He grinned from ear to ear, and both Buffy and Martha rolled their eyes.

"We're alike in many ways, Doctor." Shakespeare reaches out and pulls Martha by the wrist to next to him. While the Doctor watches with a smirk and Buffy makes a face. "Martha, let me say goodbye to you in a new verse. A sonnet for my Dark Lady:" He takes an astonished Martha's hand. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate…" He kisses her knuckles and she blushes, which causes Buffy to force herself to muffle laughter. Just then Dick and Kempe run in from the street, both looking breathless and extremely excited.

"Will!" Dick yells out. Shakespeare raises an eyebrow at them, curiously. As does the Doctor, Buffy and Martha.

"Will, you'll never believe it. She's here! She's turned up!" Kempe exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

"Uh, who?" Buffy asked, exchanging incredulous glances with Martha who shrugs and gets up from her seat next to Shakespeare, and helps Buffy to her feet.

"Her Majesty. She's here!" Kempe explains. Both girls widen their eyes in shock. There is fanfare and an elderly Queen Elizabeth enters with two of her pikemen. The Doctor grins excitedly.

"Queen Elizabeth the First!" He calls out. Elizabeth stops in her step and stares at the Doctor in shock, then fury.

"Doctor?" His smile drops slightly.

"What?"

"My sworn enemy!" Both Buffy and Martha paled. While the Doctor looked confused.

"What?" Elizabeth gestured to her pikemen.

"Off with his head!" _Shit!_ Martha darted towards the Doctor and grabbed his hand.

"What?"

"Never mind what, just run!" Martha hissed at the Doctor, before turning and smiling warmly at a very amused Shakespeare. "See you, Will, and thanks." Then she and the Doctor booked it. But Buffy who was still weakened by her overnight healing process, was a little slower and was soon surrounded by Elizabeth's guards who were intent on not only capturing and executing the Doctor, but also Buffy and Martha by principle.

"Buffy!?"

She looked over the heads of the guards and saw a panicked Doctor and Martha watching helplessly in the distance. Buffy smirked and backed up a little, indicating for them to do the same. They frowned but did so. Buffy immediately broke out in a run and then expertly flipped over the heads of the stunned guards and landed gracefully at the feet of a gobsmacked Doctor, and an impressed Martha.

"I never get tired of doing that." Buffy admitted as she straightened up, before seizing the Doctor's hand and grinning at him. "Run!" And then takes off down the street, dragging the Doctor along with her and Martha following at their heels.

Shakespeare laughs as the pikemen chase after them out and into the streets of Southwark.

* * *

The Doctor, Buffy and Martha run for their lives through the streets of Southwark. Queen Elizabeth's pikemen were hot on their heels. The Doctor was grinning from ear to ear, and laughing excitedly; while both Martha and Buffy were getting more and more nervous. The Doctor suddenly turns to Buffy and frowns at her curiously.

"Where in the hell did you learn how to flip like that?" Buffy grins and tightens her grip on his hand.

"With loads of practice." She replies with a cheeky wink, causing the Doctor to chuckle. There were almost halfway to where the TARDIS was parked, but they were also yet to give the pikemen the slip.

"Stop in the name of the Queen!" They yelled. Martha exhaled in frustration.

"What have you done to upset her?"

"How should I know?" The Doctor yelled back. "Haven't even met her yet. That's time travel for you. Still, can't wait to find out!" He admitted, excitedly.

Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Only you would be excited about something or someone who is trying to kill you!" They get to the TARDIS and he lets Buffy and Martha inside. They run in without hesitation while he steps in, but glances about.

"That's something to look forward to." He says, then his eyes widened in alarm. "OH!" He retreats inside the TARDIS and slams the door behind him just as an arrow thuds into it.

The TARDIS dematerialises seconds later.

* * *

 **A/N: Another chapter done and dusted. The next chapter deals with Buffy ending up getting into more trouble and giving the Doctor another headache to deal with. Martha learns more about the Slayer and other uncomfortable facts. Please review constructively. The next chapter will be out soon. Cheers xx**


	8. Are We There Yet?

**Welcome back, guys! Here's your next chapter. This chapter takes place during the events of 'Gridlock', but with a 'Buffy style' twist. Enjoy xx**

 **I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson.** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ **© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions. Cheers xx**

* * *

 **ARE WE THERE YET?**

" _I'm breaking free from these memories. Gotta let it go, just let it go. I've said goodbye. Set it all on fire. Gotta let it go, just let it go."_ _ **~Avril Lavigne (feat. Chad Kroeger) 'Let Me Go' (Avril Lavigne [2013])**_

* * *

Buffy and Martha hunched over gasping for breath.

They had underestimated how faraway the Globe theatre had been from the TARDIS and both were regretting not getting more exercise when they were able. Buffy felt like her lungs were on fire as she tried to gulp in as much air as she could. The Doctor breezed by both girls – not in the least bit winded – and discards his trench coat on one of the TARDIS's coral like support beams. He rushed up to the console, punching in the coordinates and throwing the lever. Almost immediately, the TARDIS lurched to the left nearly dumping everybody on the ground.

"Man, I haven't run like that for a while." Buffy gasped. "The last time I ran that fast was when I was chasing after a vampire who just wouldn't take a hint." She straightened up and rubbed at a sore spot on her elbow as she leaned up against the TARDIS console.

Martha frowned at her with confusion.

"Sorry, I think I misunderstood you. Did you say 'vampires'?" Buffy nodded. Martha scoffed in disbelief and went to sit down in the Pilot's seat behind the Doctor, who had looked up when Buffy had first made the comment. "You're having me on."

The Doctor tutted disapprovingly at Martha.

"You've stood face to face with real live aliens, why shouldn't vampires be real?" He asked her. "Broaden your mind, Martha." He scolded her. Martha gaped at both the Doctor and Buffy, disbelievingly.

"But it's scientifically impossible!"

"It's not." Buffy replied. "I had the same reaction as you did when I first learned what I was destined for." Buffy was over it. She was tired, irritable and not in the mood to go into a debate with Martha. If she wanted to pretend that vampires were fictional, she wasn't going to stop her. _Be my guest..._ "It's not the life I would've chosen for myself. God knows how much I wish I could escape it." Buffy walked over to the staircase that would lead to the lower section of the TARDIS and retreated to her temporary room. The Doctor watched her go, looking sad. Martha sidled up to him, looking very confused.

"What is she talking about?" She demanded. The Doctor put the TARDIS into idle mode before turning to face Martha. The expression on his face was grim.

"Buffy isn't an ordinary human. She is a legendary vampire Slayer. _The_ Slayer to be exact." He explained, but pressed on before Martha could interrupt. "According to legend, or so I read; the Slayer is primarily female and the _'one girl in all the world with the strength and skill to vanquish the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness that threaten to corrupt and destroy the world.'_ " He wrinkled his nose, trying to remember the exact details. "Or something to that effect."

Martha looked appalled.

"But that's insane. That's inhuman! Who came up with this rubbish?" She demanded. The Doctor jabbed at a random button on the console, adjusting course.

"The Powers that Be, is who _they_ are called. They were responsible for the creation of the First Slayer in existence during the prehistoric era." He frowned at a memory. "I met her accidentally when the TARDIS and I had a minor disagreement." Then he shuddered with revulsion. "Highly unpleasant girl; tried to gut me like a fish." Martha glanced in the direction Buffy had wondered off in.

"So say I believe all this; couldn't Buffy just hand the responsibility to another person to deal with so she could have a normal life?" The Doctor eyed Martha dangerously causing the young doctor-to-be to take a step back.

"First of all, Martha, would _you_ be willing to take on the responsibility of making sure that innocent people were not killed while not being killed yourself?" Martha gave him a look.

"Of course not."

"Good. Glad we cleared that up; which leads me to my second point. This isn't just a hobby or a job that can be done by just anybody. Buffy, and the innocent girls that came before her, were endowed with supernatural strength and skill that made it possible to physically wound, let alone kill vampires – who are _soulless_ demons wearing the hollowed out husks of the humans they inhabit, and have an insatiable diet of human blood." Martha paled, probably remembering the Plasmavore they had already encountered. "Putting an ordinary human up against any supernatural creature with a less than savoury agenda, would leave them as defenceless as a cat toy." Martha nodded. Then the Doctor suddenly looked very afraid, like he already knew something that he wished he had no knowledge of.

Martha was immediately concerned.

"Doctor are you okay?"

"No, not really. But it leads to my third and final point: In order for Buffy to hand the responsibility over to somebody else…" Here he hesitated. "… She would have to die." His voice broke on the word 'die'. Martha gasped.

"Not exactly a story that invokes the warm and fuzzies, huh?" Both Martha and the Doctor turned around to see a blank-faced Buffy, who stood at the stop of the stairs, with her arms crossed protectively over her chest acting like a personal shield.

Martha started walking towards her.

"Buffy, I'm sorry. I didn't know." She apologised, looking guilty. Buffy gave a very tiny smile.

"It's fine. You weren't to know." Buffy strode directly over to the Doctor who had distracted himself by readjusting and punching in coordinates into the TARDIS console. She frowned at his reaction to her reappearance. There was something he was hiding from her, and it was obviously causing him great pain. "Doctor?" He flinched at Buffy's voice, before straightening up and giving both Buffy and Martha the fakest looking smile Buffy had ever seen; and she had had the misfortune of associating with the Cordelia Chases in this world.

"Right, moving on! Where would you two like to go next?" He asked them brightly. Buffy and Martha exchanged concerned looks.

"But I thought you said to Shakespeare that you were taking us home?" Martha ventured carefully. The Doctor snorted.

"Just one trip. S'what I said. One trip, in the TARDIS, and then home." Buffy's face fell, and the Doctor noticed this. He couldn't help it, he was absolutely delighted that Buffy wasn't ready to go home yet; but at the same time, he also needed to know when Buffy really needed to go home to complete her education … and her *ahem* other responsibilities. Thankfully, that day wasn't today. "Although – I suppose we could – stretch the definition. Try one trip to the past, one trip to the future. How do you two fancy that?" Martha practically beamed, while Buffy perked up a little.

"No complaints from me!" Martha grinned.

"I'm up for anything." Buffy agreed, and hopped up onto the Pilot's seat making herself comfortable. The Doctor's hearts skipped a beat, and he gave her a warm smile. But then an image of Rose's grinning face appeared in his head and he immediately withdrew into himself, pasting an excited expression on his face.

"How about a different planet?" He suggested.

Sometimes Buffy hated the fact that being the Slayer meant she was highly observant. She had seen the internal war the Doctor was having with himself reflected within his sad brown eyes, and realised that he was attempting to resist the feelings he had already started developing for the Slayer and presumably holding on to the feelings he had for Rose Tyler, who was trapped in Parallel Earth. Hurt, Buffy looked away.

"Can we go to yours?" Martha answered the Doctor inquiry. The 'fake' excitement on his face ebbed away almost immediately and he turned away from Martha.

"Ahh, there's plenty of other places!" He playfully protested. Martha didn't take the hint.

"Come on, though! I mean, Planet of the Time Lords, that's got to be worth a look! What's it like?" The Doctor looked reminiscent.

"Well, it's beautiful, yeah."

"Is it like, you know, outer space cities, all spires and stuff?" Martha asked, conversationally.

He shrugged. "I suppose it is."

Buffy decided to intervene. She could see how uncomfortable the Doctor was about the topic.

"Uh, Martha…" Buffy called out, but Martha wasn't listening.

"Great big temples and cathedrals!"

"Yeah." The Doctor confirmed, dully. Buffy tried again.

"Martha, I don't think…"

"Lots of planets in the sky?" Martha was getting increasingly excited and Buffy was getting annoyed with Martha.

"Martha!"

The Doctor came over and placed a calming hand on Buffy's shoulder, and offered her a grateful smile.

"It's fine, Buffy." He decided that it wouldn't hurt to at least describe his home planet to his two companions who were not going to be seeing it. He smiled sadly. Buffy risked taking his hand, to give him some emotional support. To her surprise, he didn't pull away. If anything, he only held on tighter and stroked her hand affectionately with his thumb. She couldn't help it, Buffy blushed. "The sky's a burnt orange, with the Citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining underneath twin suns. Beyond that, the mountains go on forever – slopes of deep red grass, capped in snow."

Both Martha and Buffy were completely enthralled by the image the Doctor had described to them from memory.

"Wow. That really does sound so beautiful." Buffy breathed, agreeing with the Doctor's first brief description of Gallifrey. The Doctor turned and smiled at her gratefully, before giving her hand one last squeeze before letting go.

"Can we go there?" asked Martha, dreamily.

"Naah! Where's the fun for me? I don't want to go home!" _Yes, you do…_ Buffy thought sadly, still cursing her observational skills. "Instead …" The Doctor danced around the main console, tweaking settings as he went. "This is much better. Year five billion and fifty-three, planet New Earth! Second hope of mankind! Fifty thousand light years from your old world, and we're slap bang in the middle of New New York." Then he paused, frowning. "Although technically it's the fifteenth New York from the original so it's New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New York." All Buffy and Martha could do was just nod. "One of the most dazzling cities ever built." The Doctor rushes over and puts on his trench coat, before leading Buffy and Martha out of the TARDIS … into a rain shower.

Both of them scowl and Martha zips up her jacket.

"Oh, that's nice! Time Lord version of 'dazzling'." She scoffed. Buffy grimaced, as the rain pelted down on her head, quickly dampening it.

"Ugh, bad hair day…" She grumbled. "I hope I don't frizz." The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Nah, bit of rain never hurt anyone. Come on, let's get under cover!" He takes Buffy's hand and leads the both of them down the alley.

The trio discover that they are in the slum part of the city, and they dash through a junk-ridden street; past what looked like giant dumpsters and some old laundry hanging from a line above their heads. Martha doesn't look impressed.

"Well, it looks like the same old Earth to me. On a Wednesday afternoon." The Doctor glances around for clues. He spots a dead screen on the wall and runs over to it.

"Hold on, hold on. Let's take a look." He uses his sonic screwdriver on the screen and when static appears, the Doctor bangs impatiently on the screen before the face of a perky looking blonde flickers into view.

"—and the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New New Jersey expressway." 'Perky' as Buffy dubbed her, reports with a cheesy smile. The image on screen shifts to reveal the New New York above ground, which is a gorgeous spired city on the coast of a large river. Sleek vehicles zoom through the air. The Doctor 'ah huh's in triumph.

"Oh, that's more like it!" Buffy grins.

"Wow, I'm liking the future already!" The Doctor beams at her response.

"That's the New we had last time. This must be the lower levels. Down in the base of the tower, some sort of under city." Buffy's grin faded when her sharp ears picked out the 'we' in the Doctor's explanation.

"You've brought us to the slums?" Martha stated, sounding irritated. But the smile on her face gave away how excited she was about being in the distant future.

The Doctor nodded.

"Much more interesting! It's all cocktails and glitter up there. This is the real city." Martha smiled fondly.

"You'd enjoy anything." Buffy moved away from them. Suddenly not having as much fun now that she suspected he'd been here before with someone else.

"Somehow, I think I'd prefer the cocktails and glitter." She mumbled. "This reminds me way too much of home…" Luckily, the Doctor missed it.

"That's me. Oh, the rain's stopping! Better and better!" Buffy couldn't help it, she needed to know.

"When you say 'we' and 'last time', was that you and Rose?" Martha's smile suddenly dropped, and she looked at the Doctor with confusion. The Doctor nodded.

"Um – yeah. Yeah, it was, yeah." Buffy scoffed.

"Great. That's just great…" She trailed off, and walked away from him, earning a concerned look from the Doctor. Martha scowled.

"You're taking us to the same planets that you took her?" The Doctor looked confused.

"What's wrong with that?" Martha just wordlessly gestured towards Buffy, and he turned and saw the visibly upset Slayer studying a faded poster. It looked like she had been struggling not to start crying. The Doctor's eyes widened in realisation, and he immediately felt like an idiot.

"Nothing. But for a genius, you really have no idea. Do you?" Martha said, vexed as she pushed past him and approaches Buffy, leaving a visibly guilty Doctor behind. Just then a man suddenly flips open the top of a large green box to reveal a street vendor's cart. All around them, many others do the same; just appearing and shouting out their wares.

One of them notices Buffy and Martha.

"Oh! You should've said. How long have you been there?" She beams down at Buffy. "Happy! You want Happy?" Buffy looks slightly freaked out, and Martha wraps an arm around the teenager's shoulders, trying to protect the younger female as even she glances cautiously at the vendors.

"Customers! Customers! We've got customers!" Shouts another vendor from nearby.

"We're in business! Mother, open up the Mellow, and the Read!" A vendor nearest the Doctor calls out to somebody hidden in the back of their cart.

"Happy, Happy, lovely happy Happy!" chants the first vendor who had spoken to Buffy.

"Anger! Buy some Anger!"

"Get some Mellow, makes you feel all bendy and soft all day long!"

The Doctor frowns disapprovingly.

"No, thanks." He responds, moving away and gesturing for Buffy and Martha to do the same.

"Are they selling drugs?" Martha questioned, sounding appalled.

"I think they're selling moods." The Doctor corrects her. Martha shrugged.

"Same thing, isn't it?"

Buffy says nothing. Just continues to observe the commotion blankly. Other, more bedraggled-looking people stumble into the alleyway behind them. But this only encourages the vendors. A pale woman dressed head to toe in black walks with intent towards one of the stalls.

"Over here, sweetheart! That's it, come on, I'll get you first!"

"Oy! Oy, you! Over here! Over here! Buy some Happy!" The woman chooses the third vendor that attempted to accost the Doctor.

"Come over here, yeah. And what can I get you, my love?" The vendor asks, cheerfully. The woman blinks solemnly at her.

"I want to buy Forget." She replies softly. The vendor beams.

"I've got Forget, my darlin'. What strength? How much you want forgetting?" The pale woman looks visibly upset.

"It's my mother and father. They went on the motorway." She explained. The vendor looks sympathetic. Something that the Doctor, Buffy and Martha find an odd reason to want to forget.

"Oh, that's so sweet." The vendor coos before reaching behind her to the stall and pulling out a circular token, and holds it out to the pale woman. "Try this. Forget Forty-three. That's twopence." The woman hands the vendor the money and turns away with the token still in her hand. But before she can do anything with it, the Doctor stops her.

"Sorry, but – hold on a minute. What happened to your parents?" The woman looked at him with confusion.

"They drove off."

"They might drive back." He pointed out. But the woman shook her head.

"Everyone goes to the motorway in the end." She explains. "I've lost them." The Doctor looks sympathetic.

"But they can't have gone far. You could find them." The pale woman just looks at him, then looks down with a sigh. She sticks the circular token to her neck before the Doctor could stop her.

"No, no – no, don't!" He is too late. Once the token has been applied, the pale woman's expression changes almost instantly. And Buffy's eyes widened with shock. The woman seems docile, serene; a bit out of it, but unaware of her surroundings. She gives the Doctor a polite but dazed smile.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"Your parents. Your mother and father. They're on the motorway." He attempts to remind her, but knows it's a wasted effort.

"Are they?" She looks thoughtful. "That's nice." Martha makes a disbelieving face, and looks to the Doctor. He is disturbed, but not surprised. Buffy looks depressed. "I'm sorry. I won't keep you." And the woman wonders off. The Doctor looks pensive, and Martha upset and a little scornful.

"So that's what Forget looks like." Buffy mused. "It doesn't look so bad, actually." The Doctor whirled on her with a hard look on his face.

"Don't even think about it!" Buffy replied to him with a condemning glare before moving away. The Doctor recoiled.

"So that's the human race five billion years in the future? Off their head on chemicals." Martha spat.

Two figures spring out from behind Buffy, carrying guns and dressed in dark clothing. One of them, a man named Milo, grabs Buffy from behind and throws an arm around her neck; dragging her off.

"Hey!? You son of a bitch! Get your hands off me!" Buffy snarled, trying to buck him off. But she froze when she noticed the gun in his hand. "You have no idea who you're dealing with!" She warned as Milo's wife, Cheen, stands in front of them pointing her gun at the Doctor and Martha, who had turned round when Buffy started protesting. Both of them were horrified.

"I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry. We just need three, that's all." Milo explains to the Doctor and Martha, who attempt to come after them as Milo and Cheen retreat, taking Buffy with them.

"No, let her go! I'm warning you, let her go!" The Doctor begged. "Whatever you want, I can help. Both of us, we can help." He indicated to an alarmed Martha, and at the Slayer still restrained against Milo's chest. "But first you've got to let her go!" He yelled, desperately.

But Milo and Cheen are desperate, and they ignore him.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Sorry." Cheen repeats her apologies, almost crying, until the couple have disappeared with Buffy in their clutches, slamming a large green door behind them.

"Buffy!" Martha calls out to the scared Slayer. "Doctor, we need to do something!" She said, banging desperately on the green door.

"I know!" The Doctor bared his teeth with frustration and begins to wrestle with the door. Eventually, the Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver and yanks the door open. Both he and Martha immediately charged after the kidnappers.

* * *

Milo, Cheen and Buffy emerge in daylight, running down a fire escape. Milo has Buffy by the arm, and Cheen is at their rear, still holding out the gun.

"Just letting you know, that if you don't let go of me in the next thirty seconds I'm gonna kill you! Let go of me!" Buffy elbows Milo in the gut, careful not to put any Slayer strength behind the blow, and manages to break free of Milo's grip. But he manages to recover and grabs her again, pulling her closer and looking to Cheen. The three of them have stopped in front of a large black car.

"Give her some Sleep." Milo told Cheen, desperately. Buffy fights harder. _I was just kidding about the Forget thing!_

"Don't you dare! Don't put that stuff in me, don't! Get off me!"

"It's just Sleep Fourteen." Cheen explains as she reaches into the vehicle behind her and pulls out another token, just like the one the pale woman had bought, and goes to press it against Buffy's neck. Buffy screams for help, but Cheen, looks upset but purposeful.

"No…" Buffy whimpers, fearfully.

"No, baby, don't fight it." Cheen soothes.

"Please … don't…" Buffy goes from being a strong, ruthless Slayer to a scared sixteen-year-old girl. But these two were desperate, and with Milo holding her, however, Buffy is unable to resist for very long. Once the token touches her neck, Buffy falls into an instant sleep.

"That's it. Come on. That's it." Cheen continues to soothe. Milo scoops Buffy's small body into his arms and turns to Cheen.

"Get on board."

They both load Buffy into their car.

* * *

The Doctor and Martha dash through the corridor where Milo and Cheen had just taken Buffy. The Doctor is out of his mind with worry, and Martha isn't much better. Buffy was still just a kid, and despite being supernaturally strong and more than capable of taking care of herself. But at the same time, she was the Doctor's responsibility. A fact that slams home with the Doctor, and makes him all the more determined to rescue Buffy and it eliminates every thought of Rose from his mind.

* * *

Milo flicks on the switches inside the vehicle, just as Cheen slams the door closed and checks on Buffy, who is sound asleep.

"Engaging anti-gravs. Hold on." He tells his wife. Cheen reaches to the top of the car for support as it rises into the air and the engines power up. The Doctor and Martha rush out onto the fire escape and their eyes widen in horror when they realise they are too late.

"Buffy!" The Doctor yells frantically. The vehicle speeds off down a small alleyway and out of sight.

* * *

Inside the vehicle, everything glows a lime green light. Cheen feels Buffy's cheek as she sleeps.

"She's alright. She's breathing, pulse is fine, and no harm done." Cheen frowns a little and how young Buffy looks. "She looks like a kid though, wonder what she was doing wondering around down there in the alley." Cheen is a lot more cheerful, despite her slightly concern for Buffy's wellbeing. She pulls off her jacket and settles in beside Milo in the front.

"Yeah, well, as soon as we get to where we need to go, she can call her dad." Milo reassures her as he pulls out a vocal transmitter. "This is car four six five diamond six. We have three passengers, repeat three. Request access to the fast lane." He says into the transmitter.

"Access granted." The automatic voice responds. Both Milo and Cheen grin in triumph. Gaining access to the fast lane is apparently the same as winning the lottery. They smile excitedly and engage each other in a kiss.

* * *

"This is bad!" The Doctor states, before grabbing Martha's hand and pulling her back down the alleyway they had come down and immerging out where the vendors were selling their wares.

"Doctor, what do we do now?" Martha frets.

Without replying, the Doctor pounds on one of the doors of the now-closed stalls. It flips open immediately, and reveals the same vendor who sold the pale woman some Forget. Seeing him and Martha, she grins broadly and leans towards him over the countertop.

"Thought you'd be back! Do you want some happy Happy?" She asks him. The Doctor is furious, and has had just about enough of people kidnapping his companions; especially Buffy.

"Those people – who were they? Where did they take her?" He demands.

"Please, tell us! She's just a kid!" Martha begs. The other vendors open their flaps, and join in on the conversation.

"They've taken her to the motorway."

"Looked like carjackers to me." Another vendor adds, looking sympathetic.

"I'd give up now, darling, you won't see her again." The Doctor's eyes flashed, and Martha starts panicking.

"Used to be thriving in this place. You couldn't move. But they all go to the motorway in the end." The Doctor whirls, grilling all of them at once.

"The man, he kept on saying three, we need three. What did he mean, three?" He asked, urgently.

"It's car-sharing policy, to save fuel. You get special access if you're carrying three adults." The vendor they first talked to explained. The Doctor zeroes in on the vendor, he's struck paydirt.

"This motorway – how do we get there?" He asks, indicating both himself and Martha. The vendor points down a nearby alleyway.

"Straight down the alley, keep going to the end. You can't miss it." The Doctor doesn't waste a second, and grabs Martha's arm; striding off in the direction the vendor had indicated. However, the vendor can't resist trying to sell them something before they go.

"Tell you what – how 'bout some happy Happy?" The Doctor freezes, and Martha turns and looks at the woman with disgust. "They you'll both be smiling, my loves!"

The Doctor turns back.

"Word of advice, all of you. Cash up, and close down. And pack your bags!" He suggests. The vendor frowns.

"Why's that, then?"

"Because as soon as I've found her, alive and well – and I will find her, alive and well – then I'm coming back. And this street is closing. Tonight!" The Doctor declares before turning without another word and strides off down the alleyway, with Martha following.

The vendors glance at each other, all apprehensive.

* * *

Back in Milo and Cheen's vehicle, Buffy fuzzily comes to; registering the lime green light above her. She glances around the car, seeing containers of pills and liquid next to her and hearing vague voices in the background. Milo and Cheen are silhouetted in Buffy's vision as she regards the front of the vehicle. She overhears Cheen's part of the conversation.

"Yeah, the view from the windows. You can see all the way out to the flatlands." Buffy reaches up to her neck and removes the Sleep token. She stares at it, frowning, before she throws it away. "The sky … They say the air smells like apple grass. Can you imagine?" Cheen continues.

"The houses are made of wood. There are jobs going in the foundries. Everyone says so!" Milo adds to the conversation. Buffy hones in on her Slayer training. She needs to act quickly. She spies a gun sitting on a computer screen next to her head and snatches it, pointing it at Cheen and Milo.

"Take me back. I don't care who you are, just take me back to my friends. That's all I want." Buffy orders. "I won't cause any trouble, just take me back!" Milo and Cheen glance at each other, and then at Buffy, curiously.

"Friend? We thought he was your dad." Milo stated. Buffy made a face at the very idea of the Doctor being her dad. Cheen smacks Milo, and looks at Buffy kindly.

"I'm sorry. That's not a real gun." Buffy glances down at the gun, thrown.

"Yeah, well, you would say that." She points the gun at them with more determination. Cheen looked slightly amused by her determination.

"Where do you get a gun from, these days? I wouldn't even know how to fire." Buffy looks disgustedly at the fake firearm in her hand, lowering it slowly and tossing it over her shoulder.

"What's your name?" Cheen asked.

"Buffy. Buffy Summers." Buffy gets up from the bed and comes over gingerly towards the front of the car to stand behind them.

"Well, I'm Cheen, and this is Milo." She indicated to her husband. "And I swear we're sorry. We're really, really sorry. We just needed access to the fast line, but I promise, as soon as we arrive, we'll drop you off and you can go back and find your friend." Cheen promised.

Buffy made a face.

"Seriously?"

"I swear! Look—" Cheen pulls back her hair to reveal a token on her neck. It's the same as the one Buffy had on earlier, but this one has the word 'HONESTY' printed on it, with the number '36'. "Honesty patch." Buffy frowns.

"All the same, that's still kidnapping! Where are we, anyway?" She looks out the window, curiously.

"We're on the motorway." Milo replies.

"What's that, then? Fog?" Buffy indicates the smog. Cheen giggles.

"That's the exhaust fumes."

"We're going out to Brooklyn. Everyone says the air's so much cleaner, and we couldn't stay in Pharmacy Town, 'cause…" Milo squeezes Cheen's knee, and she grins at Buffy.

"Well, 'cause of me. I'm pregnant. We only discovered it last week. Scan says it's going to be a boy." Buffy is shocked, as Milo makes a mock victory gesture. He looks just as thrilled as Cheen. Buffy immediately scowls.

"So I'm supposed to be happy that my kidnappers are having a kid?" Cheen's smile falls a little.

"Oh, we're not kidnappers. Not really."

"Yeah right! You're both idiots!" Both Milo and Cheen look taken aback. Buffy zeroes in on the token on Cheen's neck. "And you, you're having a baby; and you're wearing that?" She reaches over and rips off Cheen's honesty patch. Cheen gives a small yelp of pain. "I don't think so." Milo looked defensive.

"This'll be as fast as we can. We'll take the motorway to the Brooklyn flyover, and then after that it's gonna take awhile, 'cause then there's no fast lane, just ordinary roads. But at least it's direct." Cheen nods.

"It's only ten miles."

"And how long is it gonna take?" Buffy was waspish.

Cheen shrugged. "About six years."

Buffy's mouth fell open.

"What?"

Six years? Buffy couldn't be stuck in a futuristic flying car with two total strangers for that long. She was the Slayer for fuck's sake, not to mention that she had her mom and her friends to worry about. _And the Doctor…?_ Would she ever see him again? Buffy wondered if he was worried sick about her, or if he'd be the type to search for her for as long as he could before losing interest. _Don't be a moron. The Doctor loves you or at the very least really likes you, why would he ditch you in an unfamiliar planet?_

Cheen grins proudly.

"Just in time for him to start school." Both Milo and Cheen giggle, the epitome of fresh new parents. Buffy paled.

"Nope. Sorry. Back up!" Milo and Cheen raise their eyebrows at Buffy's 20th century slang. "Six years? Ten miles in six years? How come?"

* * *

The Doctor and Martha followed the alleyway to a dilapidated corridor, which led them to an old sign that read _'Motorway access',_ the sonic screwdriver buzzes in the dim light.

"Do think Buffy's alright?" Martha asks the Doctor, worriedly. The Doctor paused momentarily, before continuing his attempts to gain access through a large door.

"Let's find out." He replies, as the lock opens with a loud clang and they step through onto a platform. Almost immediately, they start coughing. They were standing in an atmosphere of heavy smoke. The smoke turned out to be exhaust fumes of several thousand cars, all hovering in the air in what looked like the worst gridlock in the universe.

"Doctor, I can't breathe…" Martha croaks, and the Doctor immediately starts searching for shelter; he wanted out of the toxic fumes as well. Right in front of them, the door to one of the floating vehicles opens, and a large figure dressed head to toe in protective gear, leans out. His name was Brannigan.

"Hey! You daft little street struts! What are you doing, standing there? Either get out or get in! Come on!" Both Martha and the Doctor don't hesitate and they jump through the open door and into the car. "Did you ever see the like?" A dark-haired woman, presumably this figure's wife, hands them an oxygen mask each.

"Here you go." They thank her gratefully.

"Just standing there, breathing it in!" Brannigan was mystified. He pulls off his goggles, cap and scarf; revealing that he is a cat. Martha blinks at him in astonishment. "There's this story says back in the old days, on Junction Forty-Seven, this woman stood in the exhaust fumes for a solid twenty minutes." The Doctor and Martha listen to this with confusion. "By the time they found her, her head had swollen to fifty feet!"

The woman giggled.

"Oh, you're making it up." She scolds. Brannigan heads back up to the front of the car, getting in the driver's seat.

"A fifty-foot head! Just think of it." He smirks. "Imagine picking that nose." Both Martha and the woman pull disgusted faces, while the Doctor raises an eyebrow.

"Stop it. That's disgusting." Brannigan grins, playfully.

"What? Did you never pick your nose?" The woman rolls her eyes and faces the front, then taps Brannigan on his arm.

"Bran, we're moving!"

"Right. I'm there. I'm on it." Brannigan pulls a lever on the console, and the engines in the back of the car spews out more smoke. As they go forward, the other cars move into place around them; horns beeping in every corner. However, they don't get very far, and after a couple of seconds; Brannigan draws the lever back. "Twenty yards! We're having a good day." The woman smiles at him, and both turn back to regard the Doctor and Martha, both standing behind the couple and pulling off their oxygen masks. "And who might you two be? Very well-dressed for hitchhikers." The Doctor smiles politely, as does Martha.

"Thanks. Sorry, I'm the Doctor."

"Martha. Martha Jones." Both of them shake Brannigan's hand. The cat man gives a booming laugh.

"Medical man! Ha-ha! My name's Thomas Kincade Brannigan." He turns and gestures to the woman sitting beside him. "And this is the bane of my life, the lovely Valerie." Valerie smiles warmly at the both of them.

"Nice to meet you."

Brannigan gestures behind them to a drawn curtain.

"And that's the rest of the family behind you." Martha and the Doctor turn to the curtain, and reveal a basket of adorable mewling kittens. Martha immediately gushes.

"Oh my Gosh! How sweet!" She squeals with delight. The Doctor grins.

"Aww, that's nice. Hello." He reaches gently out to them, as does Martha, as their parents share a glance. The Doctor and Martha turned back to Brannigan and Valerie, each holding a kitten: a tiny black kitten in the Doctor's hands, and an orange tabby in Martha's.

"How old are they?" Martha asked, curiously.

"Just two months." Valerie replied, smiling fondly at her two children. Brannigan smiled sympathetically.

"Poor little souls. They've never known the ground beneath their paws." Both Martha and the Doctor looked at them in a puzzlement. "Children of the motorway." He explained. The Doctor was surprised.

"What they were born in here?" Martha raised an eyebrow.

"We couldn't stop." Valerie explained. "We heard there were jobs going, out in the laundries on Fire Island. Thought we'd take a chance."

The Doctor was astonished.

"What? You've been driving for two months?" Brannigan and Valerie laughed.

"Do I look like a teenager? We've been driving for twelve years now." Brannigan explained. The Doctor and Martha exchanged confused glances with each other.

"I'm sorry?" Martha questioned.

"Yeah! Started out as newlyweds! Feels like yesterday." This made the Doctor smile sadly. Valerie snorted.

"Feels like twelve years to me."

"Ahh, sweetheart, but you're still lovely." Brannigan tickles his wife, and she giggles. Instantly, their troubles are forgotten. The Doctor is mystified, but Martha is charmed by them.

"Twelve years?! How far did you come? Where did you start?" The Doctor wanted to know. Martha gave him a critical look. _Who cares?_ Brannigan paused to think.

"Battery Park. It's five miles back."

"You travelled five miles in twelve years?" The Doctor was incredulous. Brannigan was amused and looked at both Valerie and Martha.

"I think he's a bit slow." The Doctor reaches behind and puts the kitten back with its brothers and sisters. Martha follows suit after pecking it on the head. Valerie studied them curiously.

"Where are you two from?"

"Never mind that. We've got to get out." He explained. "My, uh, friend's in one of these cars." Martha smiled approvingly when the Doctor hesitated on the word friend when describing his relationship with Buffy. It meant that he was giving it some serious thought. She turned to the curious couple.

"She was taken hostage." Martha added. The Doctor was fiddling with the door next to him.

"And we should get back to the TARDIS." He insisted. The Doctor pulled open the door, but nearly steps out into nothing but a cloud of smoke.

"Doctor!" Martha reaches out and grabs a hold of his coat, pulling him back in so he didn't fall out of the car. Everyone in the car immediately starts coughing until the Doctor shuts the door.

"You're too late for that. We've passed the lay-by." The Doctor coughs hard, and Valerie offers him the oxygen mask again, but he politely declines. "You're a passenger now, Sonny Jim!" Martha looks annoyed.

"Great! What do we do now, Doctor?" She asks.

"When's the next lay-by?" The Doctor asks Brannigan, urgently. Valerie bites her bottom lip, which causes Martha to worry, as Brennigan considers.

"Oh … six months?" The Doctor slumps in a heap.

A frustrated, unamused look on his face.

* * *

 **A/N: Let's leave it here. I don't want to make these chapters too long, or readers might lose interest. Please review. Part two of this particular 'Buffy version' episode will be out soon. Cheers guys ;)**


	9. From Beneath You, It Devours

**Here's part two! Enjoy :P**

 **I was also just informed by a reviewer about their concerns on whether or not the Doctor knew about the supernatural. Just FYI: Yes, the Doctor is informed of the supernatural, but has chosen to keep the information to himself. He will, of course, reveal this knowledge to his companions if they wish to know. Otherwise he chooses to remain mum on the subject or gives very basic information. I hope this clears things up for those who were confused.**

 **I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson.** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ **© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions. Cheers xx**

* * *

 **FROM BENEATH YOU, IT DEVOURS**

" _I pray you learn to trust. Have faith in both of us. And keep room in your hearts for two."_ _ **~Depeche Mode: 'Precious' (Playing the Angel [2005])**_

* * *

Thousands and thousands of identical boxy vehicles float about in the air. There are headlights on, horns blaring, and very few of the cars are actually moving. Very little is happening. Somewhere in the endless array of vehicles, Buffy sits and watches the traffic jam through a window. She is unaware (but very hopeful) that an impatient and very frustrated Doctor is attempting to find her, with Martha Jones faithfully by his side.

"How many cars are out there?" Buffy wonders out loud. Cheen shrugs.

"I don't think anyone really knows." She reaches behind Buffy and pulls out something, holding it out to the Slayer. "Here you go. Hungry?" _Starved…_ Buffy thinks as she takes the wafer like cake from Cheen.

"Thanks." Buffy crawls away from the window, and stands behind the couple. She takes a bite out of the wafer. "About how far down is it to this 'fast lane'?" Buffy asks, curiously.

Milo considers.

"Oh, it's right at the bottom, underneath the traffic jam." He explains. Buffy nods, absently chewing. "But not many people can afford three passengers, so it's empty down there. Rumour has it, you can reach up to thirty miles per hour." Buffy nods, humouring them.

"Wow. That's, like, crazy." She replies, sarcastically. Milo and Cheen laugh, amused by the teenager. Buffy takes another mouthful. "How are you supposed to live in here? It's not much bigger than my room back at home." Buffy comments, then falls silent when she starts to feel homesick, and missing her mum.

Cheen smiles proudly.

"Oh, we stocked up. Got self-replicating fuel, muscle stimulants for exercise, and there's a chemical toilet at the back. And all waste products are recycled as food." Buffy pauses mid chew, and eyes her wafer, repulsed.

"O—kay." She drops the wafer very quickly. _I've lost my appetite … for good._

Milo gives a triumphant cheer.

"Oh, another gap, this is brilliant!" He exclaims, excitedly. Buffy eyes him, pityingly. The sooner she got to where they were going; the faster she could get back to the Doctor. She'd even personally Velcro herself to his hip, if needed, to avoid getting into a situation like this again. Suddenly, an electronic voice sounds over the transmitter.

"Car sign in."

Milo talks into the microphone. "Car four six five diamond six, on descent to the fast lane, thank you very much."

There was a pause for several seconds before:

"Please drive safely." _It's about fucking time…_ Buffy privately thought as Milo takes the vehicle down another level, and speeds away.

* * *

Martha watches as the Doctor shines and buzzes his sonic screwdriver in front of a screen, which had the insignia of the New New York Police Department on it. The Doctor is reflected in the screen, holding a vocal transmitter.

"I need to talk to the Police." The Doctor requested, urgently. The same electronic voice that was giving clearance for Milo and Cheen to hop into the fast lane with a reluctant Buffy, responds.

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold." At the same time as these words are spoken, they also appeared typed on the screen in giant block letters. The Doctor was astounded.

"But you're the police!" But the electronic voice simply repeats itself, and the Doctor gives up. He scrambles up to the front of the car where Brannigan and Valerie are still sitting. "Is there anyone else? I once met the Duke of Manhattan; is there any way of getting through to him?" He pleaded.

Brannigan fixes him with a critical look.

"Oh, now, ain't you lordly?" He teases. The Doctor sighs in frustration, and Martha attempts to help.

"We've got to find our friend." She insisted. Valerie shakes her head.

"You can't make outside calls. The motorway's completely enclosed." She tells him, helplessly. The Doctor scans the cars outside the windows, and a thought occurred to him.

"What about the other cars?" He asked. Brannigan nodded.

"Oh, we've got contact with them, yeah." Then paused before amending his words. "Well, some of them, anyway." He punches in a few numbers on their computer. "They've got to be on your friends list. Now let's see – who's nearby?" He scans the list, then brightens. "Ahh! The Cassini sisters!" Martha and the Doctor exchange glances. Finally! They were getting somewhere. Brannigan holds up the transmitter. "Still your hearts, my handsome girls. It's Brannigan here." Static crackles for a few seconds before a wheezened old woman's voice appears over the transmitter.

"Get off the line, Brannigan. You're a pest and a menace." The voice sounded slightly amused.

Brannigan grins.

"Oh, come on, now, sisters. Is that any way to talk to an old friend?" He cajoles.

"You know full well we're not sisters. We're married." Martha makes a surprised face. The future had embraced same-sex marriage. Who knew? Brannigan chuckles.

"Oooh, stop that modern talk! I'm an old-fashioned cat." He gestures for the Doctor to come closer. "Now, I've got a hitchhiker here, calls himself the Doctor." He hands the transmitter over to the Doctor, who grabs it. Martha comes closer to so she could lend some assistance.

"Hello. Sorry, I'm looking for someone called Buffy Summers. She's been carjacked, and she's inside one of these vehicles. But I don't know which one." He admitted. A different old woman's voice appears over the transmitter.

"Wait a minute." Sounds of riffling pages could be heard. "Could I ask, what entrance did they use?" The second old woman's voice asked, politely. The Doctor glances over at Brannigan.

"Where were we?"

"Pharmacy Town." Brannigan replied.

"Pharmacy Town, about twenty minutes ago." The Doctor glances at Martha, smiling apologetically.

This adventure back to New Earth was not the greatest idea he had ever had. Even more so when Buffy was in grave danger, once again. The Slayer was a bona fide danger magnet. Martha waved away his concerns. Despite the danger and the worry she was feeling for Buffy, this was perhaps the best adventure she'd ever had in her twenty-three years.

"Let's have a look." More pages ruffling. "In the last hour, fifty-three new cars joined from the Pharmacy Town junction." _Narrows it down…_ The Doctor thought, unlocking his inner sarcastic 'nine'.

"Anything more specific?" He asked.

"All in good time." The old woman's voice scolded. "Was she car-jacked by two people?" Martha grinned in triumph.

"Yes, she was, yeah." The Doctor confirmed. They could practically hear the woman smiling accomplishedly.

"There we are. Just one of those cars was destined for the fast lane. That means they had three on board. And their car number is four six five diamond six." She stated.

"That's it! So how do we find them?"

"Ah. Now, there I'm afraid I can't help." The old woman replied sadly. The smiles on both Martha and the Doctor's faces fell. They were back to square one, with the addition of at least the licence plate of the car that kidnapped Buffy.

The Doctor turned to Brannigan.

"Call them on this thing. We've got their number. Diamond six." Brannigan shakes his head.

"Not if they're designated fast lane. It's a different class."

"You could try the police." One of the ladies on the transmitter suggested. The Doctor despaired.

"They put me on hold."

"You'll have to keep trying. There's no one else." The voice was sympathetic, but firm.

"Thank you." The Doctor replied, glumly. He hands Brannigan back the transmitter.

* * *

Among the beeping, honking and the smoke, Buffy's car slowly descends through the massive lines of cars.

"See? Another ten layers to go. We're scorching." Milo announces.

Buffy nods, but says nothing. Suddenly, she senses danger; and is proven right when a low noise sounds; it a mixture between a creak and a growl. _Oh, no! Not again…_ Everybody freezes. The sound comes again. Buffy bends down and places her ear on the floor of the vehicle.

"It's coming from underneath." Buffy confirms. Cheen pales.

"It does have noise, doesn't it? It's like Kate said. The stories are true." Milo gives his wife a disbelieving look.

Buffy frowns. "What stories?"

"It's the sound of the air vents. That's all. The exhaust fumes travel down, so at the base of the tunnel they've got air vents." Milo reassures them exasperatedly. Buffy looks sceptical; she knows the sounds of monsters when she hears it.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I think there's something funky lurking down there. I don't think they're trying to say 'hi!'" Buffy insisted. Cheen agrees, causing Milo to chuckle – a little derisively; and a little fondly before looking away.

"They say people go missing on the motorway. Some cars just vanish, never to be seen again. 'Cause there's something living down there, in the smoke. Something huge. And hungry. And if you get lost on the road … it's waiting for you." Buffy rolls her eyes and goes to look out of the window. When the rumbling noise gets louder and louder, they all stare at each other nervously. Milo shifts in his seat and clears his throat.

"But like I said. Air vents." He presses buttons on the console. "Going down to the next layer." Buffy looked at him in disbelief.

"Except look out there. Does it look like the air vents are working?" Buffy pointed out, insistently. Surely this guy couldn't be that much in denial?

"No." Cheen agreed. Buffy sighed in relief. _Finally, we're making progress..._ The sound continues getting louder; and suddenly there is growling and crashing. Buffy scowls in annoyance.

"So what's that, then?" She whispers. Milo is at a loss for words. He shakes his head nervously.

"Nah. Kid stuff." He holds up his transmitter. "Car four six five diamond six, on descent."

* * *

There was only one option left to try.

"We've got to go the fast lane. Take us down." The Doctor asked, urgently. Brannigan frowned.

"Not in a million years."

"You've got more than three passengers!" The Doctor protested.

"I'm still not going." Brannigan stubbornly denied. The Doctor looked like he wanted to break something and Martha watched the Doctor worriedly.

"She's alone, and she's lost." Martha explained calmly, attempting to calm everybody down. The Doctor's temper was rising, and they really couldn't afford to be kicked out of their only mode of transportation because of a thoughtless word uttered by the Doctor. "She doesn't belong on this planet."

"And it's all my fault." The Doctor stated, firmly. "I'm asking you, Brannigan, I'm pleading with you – take us down." He pleaded. But the couple were firm in their decision.

"That's a no. And that's final." Valerie snapped. "I'm not risking the children down there." The Doctor was concerned about the fear in both Brannigan and Valerie's faces.

"Why not? What's the risk? What happens down there?"

"We're not discussing it! The conversation is closed!" Valerie said, with a finality in her voice. Martha looked deflated, whereas the Doctor remained stubborn.

"So we keep on driving?" asked Martha, dejectedly.

"Yes, we do." Brannigan confirmed.

"For how long?" The Doctor asked, quietly.

"Till the journey's end." The Doctor shook his head. Not acceptable; anything could happen to Buffy in that timeframe. Martha and he exchanged glances, and Martha nodded reluctantly. The Doctor reached over to snatch the vocal transmitter. A thought had suddenly occurred to him, and he wasn't looking forward to learning the confirmation.

"Mrs. Cassini, this is the Doctor. Tell me, how long have you been driving on the motorway?" He asked, calmly and clearly.

"Oh, we were amongst the first. It's been twenty-three years now." One of them replied back.

The Doctor nodded.

"And in all that time, have you ever seen a police car?" There was silence. Valerie and Brannigan look at him, disquieted that he's bringing this to light. Martha paled when she realised what the Doctor was getting at.

"I'm not sure." Martha didn't like the reluctance in her voice. The Doctor pressed on.

"Look at your notes. Any police?" He asked, gravely.

"Not as such."

"Or an ambulance? Rescue service? Anything official? _Ever?"_ The sound of flustered babbling came over the transmitter. Both women were clearly upset by the point.

"I can't keep a note of everything." One of them protested, upset. The Doctor eyed Martha, who was slightly disapproving of the way the Doctor was handling the situation. But she realised that he had brought up a very valid point. And it didn't make her feel any better.

"What if there's no one out there?" Martha whispered, suddenly fearful. Brannigan immediately reaches up and angrily takes the transmitter away from the Doctor.

"Stop it. The Cassinis were doing you a favour." The Doctor gave him a hard look.

"Someone's got to ask. 'Cause you might not talk about it, but it's there. In your eyes." Brannigan is momentarily silenced. "What if the traffic jam never stops?" Brannigan came back to life.

"There's a whole city above us. The mighty city-state of New New York. They wouldn't just leave us."

"I think they might already had…" Martha concluded, horrified. The Doctor agreed.

"In that case, where are they? Hmm? What if there's no help coming, not ever?" He suggested. "What if there's nothing? Just the motorway, with the cars going round and round and round, never stopping? Forever?" The idea was starting to scare Valerie.

"Shut up! Just shut up!"

The screen at the front of the car suddenly blares to life. It's the news starting up, and the same perky blonde woman appears looking grave.

"This is Sally Calypso, and it's that time again. The sun is blazing high in the sky over the New Atlantic, the perfect setting for the daily contemplation." The Doctor and Martha look pensive. Brannigan looks triumphant.

"You think you know us so well, Doctor. But we're not abandoned. Not while we have each other." He reaches out and takes Valerie's hand, and she smiles a bit at this. Sally Calypso continues talking.

"This is for all of you out there on the roads. We're so sorry. Drive safe." Then suddenly, Valerie and Brannigan begin to sing along to a melancholy hymn that starts to play. In Milo and Cheen's car, Buffy watches puzzled as her kidnappers start singing as well. By the time the hymn has finished, both Valerie and Martha have tears in their eyes.

* * *

"Fast lane access, please drive safely." An electronic voice speaks out. Milo smiles.

"We made it. The fast lane." Cheen grins, breathless, as their car scoots out of the long lines of traffic and descends into empty smoke.

Buffy nods, and turns away. She feels wetness around her eyes, and realises that during that strange hymn that sounded more like a funeral dirge, she had started to tear up as well. _Doctor, please save me. I need you…_

* * *

Time was up. It was time for the Doctor to act.

"If you won't take me down. I'll go down on my own." He scrambles to the middle of the car, pulling out the sonic screwdriver and inspecting the floor. Brannigan, Valerie and Martha turn and look at him, shocked. Martha moves to his side.

"You mean both of us, right?" The Doctor looked up at her and shook his head.

"No, Martha. I need you to stay here with Brannigan and Valerie. You'll be safe with them." Martha's eyes widened. "I'll be back, promise!" Brannigan frowned.

"What do you think you're doing?" The Doctor scanned the lock.

"Finding my own way. I usually do."

"Capsule open." An electronic voice speaks up. Valerie and Brannigan look on in horror as a door in the floor of the car opens, revealing the hundreds of cars below them. One pulls up right underneath the opening, and the Doctor prepares to jump down.

"Here we go." He takes off his trench coat, and throws it at Martha who catches it, looking disgruntled. "Look after that, Martha. I love that coat. Janis Joplin gave me that coat." Martha nodded and neatly folded it in her lap. Valerie's eyes widen in shock.

"But you can't jump!"

"If it's any consolation, Valerie, right now, _I'm_ having kittens." The Doctor told her, eyeing the fall with some trepidation.

"This Buffy – she must mean an awful lot to you." Brannigan observed. The Doctor pauses for a moment, before a warm smile spreads over his face.

"Hardly know her, actually. But yeah, she means the world to me." The Doctor finally admits to himself. "I was too busy showing off, and I think I hurt her. And lied, couldn't help it, just lied." Martha gave a sad little smile, proud of the Doctor for finally owning up. He looks up and at them all. "Bye then!" He jumps down, landing on top of the next car and coughing from the fumes. Martha scrambles to the hole and looks down, with concern.

Brannigan and Valerie are shocked.

"You better not die, Doctor!" Martha warned him, sternly. The Doctor waved his hand impatiently in her direction.

"He's completely insane!" Valerie remarked.

"That, and a bit magnificent!" Brannigan added, admiringly. The Doctor draws his sonic screwdriver across the top of the car he'd landed on, opening its top door. He drops into the car, finding a man dressed all in white and looking very pale.

"Capsule open."

"Who the hell are you?" Whitey demanded. The Doctor look at him distractedly, holding up his psychic paper for him to see.

"Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol. I'm doing a survey. How are you enjoying your motorway?" The Doctor turns to the floor, opening the bottom door. Whitey makes a pained face.

"Well, not very much. Junction Five's been closed for three years!" The Doctor finally gets the hatch open.

"Thank you. Your comments have been noted." He positions himself to jump again. "Have a nice day!" He leaps through the bottom of the car, continuing down into the next one. The fumes are increasing in intensity.

"Capsule open." The sonic screwdriver is quickly opening the bottom door of this car. The Doctor looks up at two startled Asian girls sitting in the front of the car. The Doctor smiles at them.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Your comments have been noted." He picks up a blue handkerchief and goes to tie it over his mouth to stop him from coughing. "Do you mind if I borrow this?" He makes a face at the colour, but shrugs. "Not my colour, but thank you very much." He jumps down again – this car has two very naked drivers, who look at the Doctor in complete shock.

"Capsule open."

"Oh! Don't mind me." The Doctor blushes, and avoids direct eye contact. He jumps to the next one, which is all lit in red with a very large man in the driver's seat. The Doctor gives him a mock salute before jumping through that car as well.

* * *

In Buffy's car, all three passengers are getting impatient. No matter what exit they choose, they continue to get rejected.

"Try again." Cheen insists. Milo taps 'Exit one'. At the bottom of the screen, a large red message beeps 'Junction closed.'

"Brooklyn Turnoff One closed."

"Try the next one." Cheen suggests. Milo tries it.

"Brooklyn Turnoff Two closed." Cheen gives an anguished moan. Buffy's uneasy feelings about what could be lurking underneath them, increasing with every second that passes.

"What do we do?" Cheen asks, sounding defeated.

"We'll keep going around. We'll do the whole loop. By the time we come back round, they'll be open." Buffy rolled her eyes. _That's likely…_ The rumbling noise sounds again, and they all look around in panic. Buffy glares at them.

"You still call that air vents?" She asked cuttingly. Milo looked worried.

"Who else could it be?" But it soon became more of a 'the less you know, the better you'll be' situation. None of them really wanted to know. The noise sounds again. Cheen is getting scared.

"What the hell is that?" She demands.

"It's just – the hydraulics." Milo insisted. Buffy glanced about, searching for the source of the noise.

"Sounds like it's … alive." Buffy theorises, her Slayer instincts going haywire.

"It's all exhaust fumes out there. Nothing could breathe in that." Milo chose to stay in denial.

"Calling Car four six five diamond six. Repeat, calling Car four six five diamond six." An electronic voice calls over the transmitter. Milo picks up immediately.

"This is Car four six five diamond six. Who's that? Where are you?"

A panicked female's voice answers. Two shrill screams are heard in the background.

"I'm in the fast lane, about fifty yards behind. Can you get back up? Can you get _off_ the fast lane?"

"We only have permission to go down. We – we need the Brooklyn Flyover." Milo explained.

"It's closed. Go back up." The woman insists, bluntly.

"We can't. We'll just go round." Milo argues. The woman on the other line sounds irritated.

"Don't you understand? They're closed. They're always closed." Buffy curses and throws accusing glances at Milo and Cheen, and Cheen claps her hand over her mouth. She is stressing even more than before, and lets out frightened gasps. "We're stuck down here. And there's something else. Out there, in the fog. Can't you hear it?" There is a definite shrill roar sounding all around them.

"That's the air vents." Milo insists. Buffy wants to strangle him. And apparently, so does the woman over the transmitter.

"What are you, some stupid kid?" She snarled. "Get out of here!" A horrible crashing sound is heard and Cheen pales. Buffy gulps audibly.

"What was that?" Milo asks. The sounds of screaming get louder.

"I can't move! They've got us!"

"But what's happening?" Milo practically shouts into the transmitter. Buffy, frustrated by the lack of answers, snatches the transmitter from Milo.

"What's got you? What is it?" She yells, shifting into Slayer-mode. The woman yells something unintelligible … then there's silence, save the scary noises they've been hearing non-stop.

"Hello?" Milo calls uncertainly.

"Just drive, you idiots! Get out of here! Get out!" The woman wails. There is static.

"Can you hear me?! Hello?!" Milo yells urgently. Buffy jumps into action.

"Just drive, you moron! Do what she said – get us out of here!" Milo looks flustered.

"But where?"

"Just straight ahead! And fast!" Buffy navigated. Cheen was no help, and Buffy couldn't decide if she was sympathetic or resisting the urge to slap Cheen to bring her to her senses.

"What is it? What's out there? What is it?" Cheen asked, hysterically.

* * *

A businessman in pinstripes leans against his steering wheel, staring out at the gridlock. He is completely bored.

"Capsule open." He glances behind him with a frown, and sees the Doctor jump down.

"'Scuse me, is that legal?" The Doctor looks sick.

"Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol." He is coughing too hard to finish his spiel, and gives up. "Whatever. Have you got any water?" The businessman reaches behind him for a paper cup and fills it with water.

"Certainly. Never let it be said I've lost my manners." He hands the cup to the Doctor. He takes it and drains it immediately, then wonders over to the window and looks out.

"Is this the last layer?" The Doctor inquires. The businessman nods, hesitantly.

"Ah, we're right at the bottom. Nothing below us but the fast lane." The Doctor looks at him with hope.

"Can we drive down?" The businessman shakes his head.

"There's only two of us. You need three to go down."

"Couldn't we just cheat?" The Doctor asks, irritated. The businessman shakes his head again.

"Well, I'd love to, but it's an automated system. The wheel would lock." The Doctor sighed and walked towards the middle of the car.

"If you'll excuse me." He uses his sonic screwdriver to open up the floor like before. The businessman looks alarmed.

"You can't jump. It's a thousand feet down!"

"No, I just want to look." He stares out into a thick, murky fog, dotted with tiny lights. Faintly, from the distance, comes the same screeching roar that Buffy heard. The Doctor frowns. "What's that noise?" He asks the businessman.

"I try not to think about it." The businessman admits, paling a little. The Doctor feels restless and helpless.

"What are those lights? What's down there?" He comments out loud, before coughing again and waves a hand in front of his face to sweep away the smoke. "I just need to _see_." He runs up to the screen in front of the car and points the sonic screwdriver at the display. The Doctor grows manic with ideas. "There must be some sort of ventilation. If I could just transmit a pulse through this thing, maybe I could trip the system, give us a bit of a breeze." The Doctor was in for a dangerous surprise when the smog finally cleared.

* * *

Martha sits in Valerie and Brannigan's car, worried about both the Doctor and Buffy and huddling in the Doctor's trench coat for warmth and comfort. Both Valerie and Brannigan sit staring blankly. Suddenly, a loud creak sounds and sparks begin to fly from the ceiling.

"Just what we need – Pirates!" Brannigan exclaims, scowling. Valerie yells up to the unknown person.

"I'm calling the police!" She warns, fiercely. The door at the top of their car falls down and in pokes the head of an elderly cat-nun called Novice Hame. In her hands was a green gun.

"The Doctor. Where is he!?" She demands. Martha immediately gets to her feet, drawing Novice Hame's attention.

"He's gone to the fast lane. A friend of ours was kidnapped and he's trying to rescue her." Martha explained.

Novice Hame sighs.

"Finally! I must get to him. It is of the utmost importance." Novice Hame explained. Martha makes a serious face.

"Take me with you!" She insists. Novice Hame hesitated.

"I'm sorry. But I only have enough power for one transport. And I'm saving it for when I find the Doctor. Please forgive me." Then she took the same route as the Doctor, leaving a gaping Martha behind.

"Oh, come on!" Martha complained and sat down again, scowling after the cat-nun.

* * *

In the businessman's car, the Doctor is playing with the wiring of the front console; helped by his sonic screwdriver. One of the wires snaps in his nimble fingers.

"That's it! That might shift the fumes a bit, give us a good look." The two stare out from the bottom of the car. The businessman's eyes widen in fear.

"What are those shapes?" As the Doctor and the businessman speak, huge snapping claws materialise from the fading smoke. The Doctor is alarmed.

"They're alive."

"What the hell are they?" The businessman demands. The creatures they saw turn out to be extremely large crabs. The lights that he and the Doctor had seen, were their eyes.

"Macra." The Doctor tells him. His voice was grim, as he realised that Buffy was trapped somewhere down there at the mercy of highly vicious Macra.

* * *

Buffy's car is jolting more than ever, and its passengers are in varying stages of panic. Buffy was the more subdued of the three, and is trying to figure out the best solution to this mess. Milo and Cheen, however, are getting more and more hysterical by the second.

"Go faster!" Cheen begs.

"I'm at top speed!" Milo shouts back. The screen at the front of their car reads 'proximity warning'.

"No access above." Milo looks at the computer in disbelief.

"But this is an emergency!" Their car is zooming through a sea of Macra, just barely missing their giant and very active claws.

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold." Then Buffy got an idea.

"Turn everything off."

"You've got to be joking." Milo scoffed. But Buffy was confident what she had in mind would work.

"No, listen. It's all the fog out there, so how can they see us?" She pointed out. They were momentarily silenced. "Maybe it's the engines, the sound, or the heat, or the light – I don't know! Just turn everything off, and they might not be able to find us." _A big might, but still…_

"What if you're wrong?" Milo wanted to know. Buffy let out a shaky, nervous breath.

"It couldn't be worse than this, now do it!" She ordered. Milo goes for it, and flicks switches at the top of the car and on the console. It seems to do the trick – the three of them sit and wait, quietly, in an unmoving car. They were no longer getting jolted around, and there was no more screaming.

"They've stopped." Cheen breathed.

"Yeah, but they're still out there." Milo reminded them. Everyone glances around nervously. Cheen decides that she doesn't want to deal with this and turns to Buffy.

"How did you think of that?" Buffy shrugged.

"Would you believe me, if I said 'instinct'?" She asked. Nobody decided to dignify that with an answer. "Either that or a film my dad used to watch gave me the idea. They used to do this in submarines. Trouble is, I can't remember what they did next."

Milo glances around nervously.

"Well, you better think of something, because we've lost the aircon. If we don't switch the engines back on, we won't be able to breathe." Buffy nodded.

"How long have we got?"

"Eight minutes, maximum." Milo confirmed, trying to comfort Cheen who was crying softly.

* * *

The Doctor was trying to explain Macras to a very disturbed businessman. However, the more he described them, the more afraid he became.

"The macra used to be the scourge of this galaxy. Gas. They fed off gas, the filthier the better. They built up a small empire using humans as slaves and mining gas for food." The businessman looked sceptical.

"They don't exactly look like empire builders to me." The Doctor nodded agreeing with the businessman's observation.

"Well, that was billions of years ago. Billions. They must've devolved down the years and now they're just beasts. But they're still hungry and my friend's down there." A clank at the top of the businessman's car causes them both to look up; the businessman apprehensively, the Doctor cautiously.

"Oh, it's like New Times Square in here, for goodness's sake!" The roof caves in and Novice Hame's feet dangle down, and she drops into the vehicle with them. The Doctor is slightly incredulous.

"I've invented a sport!" Novice Hame smiles at the Doctor, rather breathlessly.

"Doctor, you're a hard man to find." The businessman's eyes zeroed in on the gun in her hands and immediately pales, protesting.

"No guns! I'm not having guns!" Novice Hame looks slightly annoyed.

"I only brought this in case of pirates. Doctor, you've got to come with me." The Doctor raises an eyebrow.

"Do I know you?" Novice Hame smiles slightly.

"You haven't aged at all. Time has been less kind to me." It took the Doctor a couple of seconds before he finally realises who Novice Hame was.

"Novice Hame!" He embraces her, grinning. Then suddenly frowns when he remembers where he had first met her. "No, hold on, get off. Last time we met, you were breeding humans for experimentation." Novice Hame looks shamefaced.

"I've sought forgiveness, Doctor, for so many years, under his guidance." Then she looked up, a little bit more determined than before. "And if you come with me, I might actually be able to redeem myself." The Doctor frowned deeper.

"I'm not going anywhere. You've got Macra living underneath this city. Macra! And if my friend's still alive, she's stuck down there!" He protested.

"You've got to come with me right now!" She insisted.

"No, no, no, you're coming with me. We've got three passengers now."

"I'm sorry, Doctor. But the situation is even worse than you can imagine." She explained. Novice Hame takes his wrist, and presses a button on the green-lit metal wristband she's wearing. "Transport." The Doctor's eyes widened.

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare!" He screams before they both vanish in a white light, leaving behind a bewildered businessman.

* * *

The Doctor and Novice Hame materialise in a large, unkempt room filled with dusty junk everywhere. Streams of sunlight flood in irregularly. The Doctor and Novice Hame pick themselves up from the floor.

"Oh! Rough teleport…" The Doctor mutters before turning to Novice Hame. "But you can go straight back down and teleport people out, starting with Buffy." Novice Hame looks pained.

"I only had the power for one trip." She confesses. The Doctor's face falls, before he suddenly grows frustrated.

"Then get some more! Where are we?" He asks, looking around the room.

"High above, in the over-city."

"Good! 'Cause you can tell the Senate of New New York I'd like a word." The Doctor requests. "They've got thousands of people trapped on the motorway! Millions!" Novice Hame looks stricken.

"But you're inside the Senate, right now. May the goddess Santori bless them." They both look up to see long rows of seats in a vast chamber. All containing skeletons. "They died, Doctor. The city died." The Doctor was shocked.

"How long's it been like this?"

"Twenty-four years." Novice Hame replied, sadly. Both she and the Doctor walk towards a skeleton, lying on the ground, and the Doctor kneels next to it. His anger had all but disappeared. He is now very disturbed.

"All of them? Everyone?" Novice Hame nodded. "What happened?"

"A new chemical. A new mood. They called it 'Bliss'." She kneels down next to him and reaches down to peel off a small circular token like the ones the vendors were selling when the Doctor, Buffy and Martha had first arrived. But this one was labelled 'Bliss'. "Everyone tried it. They couldn't stop. A virus mutated inside the compound and became airborne. Everything perished – even the virus, in the end. It killed the world in seven minutes flat." The Doctor looked horrified. "There was just enough time to close down the walkways and the flyovers, sealing off the under-city. Those people on the motorway aren't lost, Doctor. They were saved." Both stand there, looking struck by the urgency of the situation.

"So the whole thing down there is running on automatic?" Novice Hame shook her head.

"There's not enough power to get them out. We did all we could to stop the system from choking." He frowned.

"Who's 'we'? How did you survive?" Novice Hame brightened.

"He protected me. And he has waited for you, these long years." Not far off, a low grumbling voice speaks.

"Doctor…" The Doctor turns and dashes over to the Face of Boe, kneeling in front of it as he did in the hospital where they had last seen each other.

Novice Hame follows.

"The Face of Boe!"

"I knew you would come." The Face of Boe grumbled. Novice Hame stepped forward.

"Back in the old days, I was made his nurse, as penance for my sins." The Doctor nodded before turning back to the Face of Boe.

"Old friend, what happened to you?" The Doctor asked, concerned.

"Failing."

"He protected me from the virus by shrouding me in his smoke. But with no one to maintain it, the City's power died. The under-city would have fallen into the sea." Novice Hame praised.

"So he saved them?"

"The Face of Boe wired himself into the mainframe. He's giving his life force just to keep things running." Novice Hame explained.

"But there are planets out there. You could have called for help." The Doctor pointed out. But Novice Hame shook her head sadly.

"The last act of the Senate was to declare New Earth unsafe. The automatic quarantine lasts for One Hundred years." The Doctor looks back at the Face of Boe, concerned, and then gets to his feet.

"So the two of you stayed here – on your own, for all these years."

"We had no choice." The Doctor reaches out to her, touches her shoulder.

"Yes, you did."

"Save them, Doctor. Save them." The Face of Boe begged weakly.

* * *

The occupants in Buffy's car are now less panicked and more completely hopeless. The car itself is still stationary.

"How much air's left?" Cheen asks. Milo checks.

"Two minutes."

"There's always the Doctor. That friend of mine. He might think of something." Buffy reminds them. But Milo gives her a hard look.

"Buffy, no one's coming." Buffy struggles to maintain a stiff upper lip, although, she wonders if the Doctor would be able to rescue them.

"He looked kind of nice." Cheen mused. Buffy smiled.

"He's a lot more than that."

"Are you and him…?" Cheen prodded, and Buffy grinned.

"No, but I think it's heading in that direction. I suspect that he's been hurt really badly, and he's stubbornly resisting." _Not that I really blame him, personally..._ Buffy thought privately. "I can relate. My love life back home is more than complicated." Buffy admitted bitterly. Cheen looked sympathetic.

"I never even asked. Where's home?" Buffy paused, trying to think of an answer that didn't make her sound crazy.

"It's a long way away. I didn't really think, which is weird considering what I had been chosen to do by fate. For all I knew, he could've been very dangerous; but I just followed the Doctor, and …" Then it suddenly hit home for Buffy. She pictured Willow and Xander's faces, Giles's face. She hesitated when she pictured Angel's face, as she was still unsure about him, and lastly she pictured her parents' faces. "They don't even know where I am. If I died here, they'd never know." She trailed off.

"So, um, who is he, then? This Doctor?" Milo asks. Buffy shrugs.

"I don't know. Well, not really. There's so much he never says." She admitted. Both Cheen and Milo look horrified.

"Well, that's no use!" Cheen exclaimed. Buffy fixed them both with a hardened look.

"It is, though, because you haven't seen the things he can do. Honestly, just trust me, both of you. You've got your faith, you've got your songs and your hymns." Buffy glances out of the window with a true, deep love reflected in her eyes. "I've got the Doctor." Milo and Cheen are emboldened by Buffy's loyalty to the Doctor.

"Right." Milo turns the car back on.

"Systems back on line." The lights come back on, and Milo grips his wife's hand briefly.

"Good luck." Milo wished them both. Buffy nods.

"And you."

The Macra are alive and attacking once more, and Car four six five diamond six ducks and dodges through them.

* * *

 **A/N: Part three will be out soon! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review with your thoughts. TTFN xx**


	10. Hide and Seek

**Part three! This chapter takes place during the last few minutes of 'Gridlock' and skips a few episodes to 'Human Nature'. Although, there will be a brief explanation of what happened between them. Enjoy xx**

 **I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson.** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ **© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions. Cheers xx**

* * *

 **HIDE AND SEEK**

" _See, here's the bloody, bloody truth. You will hurt and you will lose. I've got scars you won't believe. Wear them proudly on my sleeve."  
_ _ **~Pink: 'Run' (The Truth About Love [2012])**_

* * *

The Doctor glanced into a screen, his glasses now on. The time was now to save all those poor souls now doomed to travel on the motorway … unless the Doctor could save them all, and return them to the light.

"Car four six five diamond six – it still registers! That's Buffy! I knew she was good." He turns to Novice Hame. "Novice Hame, hold that in place." The Doctor jumps back from the screen and hands her a piece of thick tubing. Once she's got it, he runs along its length, jumping over a box of lights and buttons. "Think, think, think. Take the residual energy, invert it, feed it through the electricity beds." He mutters to himself.

Novice Hame frets. "There isn't enough power."

The Doctor reaches for his destination: a far wall with two screens, lots of wiring, and even more buttons. Then he realises something.

"Ah, you've got power! You've got me!" The Doctor reminded her. "I'm brilliant with computers, just you watch." He turns around and points to her, yelling, getting more excited all the time. "Hame, every switch on that bank, up to maximum!"

* * *

Buffy's car continues its perilous journey, spinning around.

* * *

The Doctor rotates a knob in a console on the floor, aiming the sonic screwdriver at it as well.

"I can't power up the city, but all the city needs is people." The Doctor frets. He bangs his fist against the console and jumps up.

"So what are you going to do?" Novice Hame questioned.

"This!" He throws a two-metre-long switch on the floor, and all the lights on the consoles go out. "No! No, no, no, no, no!"

* * *

Endless claws scrape the screen of Buffy's car. One finally catches them, and sparks fly into the cabin. Buffy and Cheen scream; Milo is just barely keeping a hold of his bearings. Another claw knocks against them and the car flies out, free again, zooming through into more Macra.

* * *

The Doctor kneels on the floor again, waving his sonic screwdriver at another set of controls.

"The transformers are blocked. The signal can't get through." The Doctor is panicking. Seeing this, the Face of Boe makes one final decision.

"Doctor…"

"Yeah, hold on, not now." The Doctor replies distractedly. But the Face of Boe is determined.

"I give you my last…" He lets out a long, rasping breath, and every console switches back on. Everything is working. Everything is powered. The Doctor leaps up again, suddenly illuminated.

"Hame, look after him!" He urges her. "Don't you go dying on me, you big old face. You've got to see this." He flicks the huge switch again. Novice Hame is busily turning a wheel next to the Face of Boe. "The open road. Hah!"

* * *

Valerie and Brannigan, still in their car, hear a loud crack and bang. Martha, jumps at the loud noise.

"What in Jehovah was that?" He demands.

"It's coming from above!" Valerie exclaims. Martha rushes over to the window and peers out.

"What is it? What's happening?!" Brannigan panics. Valerie hurriedly covers her mewling kittens, as Martha frowns trying to see what is happening. _Doctor…?_ She wonders, curiously. Brannigan gazes up out of his car, and his eyes widen in shock. "By all the cats in the Kingdom!" A large gap is forming at the top of the gridlock – above the lanes and lanes of cars, door to the over-city are opening.

Each crashing sound signifies another barrier falling away.

"What is it?" Valerie asks. The answer? Sunlight. Brilliant sunlight that streams through, causing her to cover her face. The doors are almost all the way open now. There's a long pathway of light above the traffic. "What is it?" Valerie repeats. Brannigan laughs like crazy and a wide, happy grin spreads across Martha's face.

"Freedom!" She announces, triumphantly. "The Doctor's done it!" At last, all the doors are opened. The cars are no longer trapped. Valerie weeps tears of joy.

"It's the sun! Oh, Brannigan!" She reaches out for him, and then pulls the blanket off of her kittens. "Children, it's the sunlight!" Her white kitten purrs happily as it is flooded by the sun. The Doctor's face suddenly buzzes to life on their computer screen at the front of the car.

"Sorry, no Sally Calypso, she was just a hologram. My name's the Doctor." Brannigan grins.

"He's a magician." But the Doctor was not finished.

"And this is an order. Everyone drive up. Right now." Brannigan is stunned.

"Is he serious?" Valerie laughs in elated disbelief. Martha joins in.

"I've opened the roof of the motorway." The Doctor explains. "Come on. Throttle those engines. Drive up. All of you, the whole under-city. Drive up, drive up, drive up! Fast!"

Brannigan wastes no time. "Here we go!"

"We've got to clear that fast lane. Drive up and get out of the way." The Doctor instructs. Every car soars up to the opening, heading for the open sunlight as fast as they can.

* * *

The screen in Buffy's car is getting the Doctor, as well.

"Oy! Car four six five diamond six! Buffy! Drive up!" Buffy beams in relief and delight when she sees the Doctor's face. She nudges Milo.

"What are you waiting for?" Milo looks at the Slayer like she's mad.

"We can't go up! We'll hit the layer!"

"Just do what he says! Go up!" Buffy insists, too excited to be angry with him. The Doctor is getting impatient.

"You've got access above! Now go!" The car swings free of the last of the snapping claws and bursts up out of the log, heading for the opening like everyone else. Cheen, Buffy and Milo gaze up in to the brilliant sunshine hitting their faces. Buffy closes her eyes, soaking in the warmth on her skin. She almost missed California.

"It's daylight! Oh my God. That's the sky, the real sky!" Cheen exclaims in wonder.

Buffy lets out an incredulous, but relieved laugh.

"He did it!" Relieved tears fall down her cheeks, as she and Cheen hug each other. "I told you, he did it!" Milo and Cheen kiss.

* * *

Valerie cuddles her kittens as Brannigan grins gratefully at the Doctor. Martha huddles in the Doctor's coat, excited to see him again.

"Did I tell you, Doctor? You're not bad, sir. You're not bad at all!" Brannigan booms as he and Valerie laugh, and continue driving up. "Yee-hah!"

* * *

The Doctor, holding a microphone, is watching the proceedings from a viewscreen in the Senate room. Novice Hame continues to monitor the Face of Boe while twirling a wheel next to him.

"You keep driving, Brannigan, all the way up! 'Cause it's here, just waiting for you." He announces, grinning from ear to ear as he dances over to a window to look out over the over-city. "The city of New New York. And it's yours." The sight is truly gorgeous – everywhere he glances, the Doctor can see cars rising out of the under-city and flying around abandoned skyscrapers. "Brannigan, can you deposit Martha Jones and my coat to the Senate, please?"

"I reckon that's a fair bargain, sir." Brannigan laughs over the transmitter. Then the Doctor turns back to the screen, and stares intently into it. "And car four six five diamond six, I've sent you a flight path. Come to the Senate." The Doctor requests.

"On my way!" Buffy replies over the transmitter. The Doctor's eyes instantly softens the second he hears Buffy's voice.

"It's been quite a while since I saw you, Buffy Summers."

A loud crack is suddenly heard.

"Doctor!" Novice Hame shouted, suddenly panicking. The Doctor turns round to see Novice Hame leaning desperately over the Face of Boe, as the case that encloses him begins to crack. The Doctor's face falls.

* * *

Cars soar through the sky of New New York. It is truly a sight to behold, and it is a new, new world.

* * *

Martha and Buffy stumble upon each other, and Martha immediately wraps Buffy up into an extremely relieved hug, before they link arms and leap happily into the Senate room. Martha gasps when she sees a skeleton lying on the floor in front of them, while Buffy looks saddened.

"Doctor?" Martha calls, as she tightens her grip on Buffy's arm; cautious.

"Over here." They snap their heads in the direction of the Doctor's voice, and smiling, they both rush over to him.

"Doctor!" Buffy greets him, and the Doctor immediately turns to her and hugs her tightly, extremely relieved she is alright. Martha looks disturbed by what she had seen on her way in there.

"What happened out there?" She looks behind the Doctor (still tightly embracing Buffy, who had closed her eyes and leaned against him, enjoying his presence immensely) and notices Novice Hame, kneeling in front of the dying Face of Boe. She frowns. "What's that?" Buffy breaks out of the Doctor's embrace, reluctantly, and looks to where Martha is staring. Despite having seen weirder creatures in her time as the Slayer, this was one sight Buffy was not accustomed to seeing.

"I second the question." She agrees.

The Doctor follows.

"It's the Face of Boe. It's alright. Come and say hello." He encourages them. "And this is Hame. She's a cat, don't worry." He introduces Novice Hame to Buffy and Martha who offer polite smiles, but say nothing and approach the Face of Boe. "He's the one that saved you, not me." The Doctor proclaimed, proudly.

Novice Hame looked torn between happy and grief.

"My lord gave his life to save the city." Martha knelt next to Novice Hame, looking reverent and trying to comfort her; while Buffy knelt before the Face of Boe in complete wonder. Buffy could've sworn the large face brightened considerably when he clapped eyes on her, even though they had never met before in her life. "And now he's dying." Buffy's eyes widened in shock, and felt the Doctor place a comforting hand on her shoulder, clearly recognising despair when he saw it. He offers the Face of Boe a bright smile, even though it was clear he was mourning as well.

"No, don't say that. Not old Boe. Plenty of life left." The Doctor insisted. The Face of Boe drew in a deep breath and smiled.

"It's good to breathe the air once more."

Martha turned to the Doctor. "Who is he?"

"I don't even know. Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years. Isn't that right? And you're not about to give up now." The Doctor insisted. That was when Buffy realised it: the Doctor hates endings. The Face of Boe chuckled weakly.

"Everything has its time. You know that, old friend, better than most." Novice Hame looked up suddenly.

"The legend says more." The Doctor looked over at her sharply, confirming Buffy's theory when she saw the fear in his eyes.

"Don't. There's no need for that."

Buffy reacted immediately and rushed over to the Doctor's side and took his hand, comforting him. She knew that whatever the Face of Boe was about to do would have a significant impact upon the Doctor, and she was prepared to help him through it; whatever the cost.

"It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a traveller." Novice Hame stated. The Doctor scowled.

"Yeah, but not yet. Who needs secrets, eh?" Buffy could feel the Doctor squeezing back desperately. Clearly, she had made the right decision.

"I have seen so much. Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind – as you are the last of yours, Doctor." The Doctor looks very desperate now. He does not want this at all, and it's hitting him much harder than the death of the entire planet did. Tears form in both Buffy and Martha's eyes; they could see the hurt in their Time Lord's face.

"That's why we have to survive. Both of us. Don't go." He pleaded.

The Face of Boe smiled sadly.

"I must. But know this, Time Lord. You are not alone."

Though before it seemed as though the Doctor was about to cry in both grief and anger. This time round he is astounded – and he stares, uncomprehending, as the Face of Boe's eyes close for the final time. Martha stares with respect while comforting a now weeping Novice Hame. Buffy blinks away tears and leans her head on the Doctor's shoulder. Eventually, Martha gets to her feet and walks over to the Doctor who wraps his arms around both their shoulders and draws them in for a comforting hug.

* * *

Later on, they found themselves back in the alley where they had met the vendors. They saunter through and find it is deserted.

"All closed down." The Doctor observed.

"Happy?" Both Martha and Buffy asked, playfully. He grinned back.

"Happy happy." They both laughed softly, while the Doctor inspects one of the empty booths. "New New York can start again. And they've got Novice Hame. Just what every city needs – cats in charge! Come on, time we were off." Martha and Buffy exchanged glances and made no move to follow him.

"But what did he mean, the Face of Boe?" Martha asked. The Doctor stopped and turns around, giving them both a questioning look.

"You are not alone." Buffy reiterated. The Doctor shrugged.

"I don't know." Martha stepped toward him, smiling.

"You've got us. Is that what he meant?" The Doctor shook his head, the edges of his mouth twitching as though he were trying not to laugh at her. Buffy looked amused.

"I don't think so. Sorry." He said, eventually. Buffy fixed him with a look.

"Then what?" She asked, feeling a little impatiently.

"Doesn't matter. Back to the TARDIS, off we go." The Doctor replied. As he turned away and heads off again, Martha grabs a fallen chair and pulls it up, sitting primly and folding her arms. Buffy follows her example, standing beside Martha's chair and gives the Doctor a hard, stubborn look. The Doctor hears and turns around again. "Alright, you staying?"

"Until you tell us the truth." Buffy insists.

"He said "last of your kind." What does that mean?" Martha prodded. The Doctor is trying to appear flippant, and is trying very hard.

"It really doesn't matter." He insists. Martha is getting annoyed, and Buffy is getting suspicious.

"You don't talk. You never say! Why not?" Martha argues. Around them, the sound of music is rising. It's the new New New York citizens, singing another hymn. Both Buffy and Martha smile.

"It's the city." Buffy observes.

"They're singing." Martha says, charmed. The Doctor glances at them, before sighing and giving in. Buffy could tell that this wasn't an easy topic for him to share.

"I lied to you, both. 'Cause I liked it. I could pretend. Just for a bit, I could imagine they were still alive, underneath a burnt orange sky." Buffy looked at him with sad eyes, and Martha was shocked. "I'm not just a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. The Face of Boe was wrong. There's no one else." The Doctor admitted, solemnly.

Buffy nodded. _I called it!_

"What happened?" She asked, quietly. The Doctor stands for a moment, then grabs another chair so he can sit across from Martha. The singing continues behind them.

"There was a war. A Time War. The last Great Time War. My people fought a race called the Daleks, for the sake of all creation. And they lost. They lost. Everyone lost. They're all gone now. My family, my friends, even that sky. Oh, you should have seen it, that old planet. The second sun would rise in the south, and the mountains would shine. The leaves on the tree were silver, and when they caught the light every morning, it looked like a forest on fire. When the autumn came, the breeze would blow through the branches like a song…"

Both Martha and Buffy were fascinated and sympathetic by the story the Doctor was spinning for them. Both of them understood now why it was hard for the Doctor to fess up.

It sounded so sad.

* * *

 **~SEVERAL ADVENTURES LATER~**

Buffy lay down on the bed in her temporary room, absently fiddling with one of her stakes. She was bored, restless and more than concerned for the Doctor due to an event that occurred in a galaxy far, far away (not _Star Wars_ ), that involved a malfunctioning cargo spaceship hurtling out of control, a murderous crew member, endless (and pointless) trivia questions, and last – and very dangerously – a boiling hot sun that the cargo spaceship was headed for within 42 minutes.

 _"Burn with me!"_

Buffy shuddered when she remembered those words, especially when they fell from the Doctor's mouth. According to him, the sun that they were hurtling towards was alive somehow, and the ignorant crew had stupidly disturbed it. It was a close call, but everybody managed to get out of it with only five deaths. But that adventure was the latest in a long line of adventures. After New Earth, the Doctor took both her and Martha to an older New York; precisely the New York of the 1930's, during the Great Depression. However, like all trips revolving around the Doctor, this one was also thwart with danger. This time revolving around the Daleks; the creatures the Doctor had hatefully described to them in a story he told them before they left New Earth.

To Buffy, these so called _Daleks,_ looked like little tin cans on wheels; crudely decorated with metal balls and had a plunger and whisk for arms. At first she had sniggered earning a stern, hard look and a frantic shake of the head from the Doctor. But, when she had witnessed firsthand what the Daleks did when they were disobeyed or the like; Buffy didn't feel like laughing. Even less so when she and Martha had been taken by them to be a part of a highly experimental Dalek-Human splicing experiment. Thankfully, the Doctor was there to rescue them … again. After that, the Doctor decided to take Martha and Buffy home for their own protection, much to their chagrin.

But like always, fate had other plans and soon they were stuck in another dangerous adventure; this time revolving around a vain old man called Richard Lazarus. He had an experiment that rumoured to reduce the age of a person, so they could have a second chance at life. Or so he had originally thought. _Talk about the human evolution taking a step backwards… or so the Doctor told me…_ Buffy thought, grumpily. Their investigating caught the interest of not only Martha's family: her mother Francine, her younger brother Leo and her older sister, Tish; but also the publicity minister for the mysterious campaigner Harold Saxon. Then the Doctor got slapped by Francine; which not only embarrassed Martha, but also pissed off Buffy, who was growing surer of her feelings for the Doctor and was becoming protective of the handsome, highly unpredictable and accident-prone alien.

"Buffy?" The Slayer sat up and glanced at the bedroom door, curiously. It was Martha, she was wearing a cheerful little smile on her face; which helped Buffy calm her growing anxiety. "The Doctor says we're almost at our next destination. You ready?" Buffy nodded.

"Just try and stop me!" Buffy smirked, earning a fond roll of the eyes from Martha. Buffy flipped her legs over the edge of the bed and put on her boots. "Let's go!" She linked arms with Martha and together they walked back towards the console room, where the Doctor greeted them with an excited smile on his face. Little did Buffy know, the Doctor had also been coming to terms with his own growing feelings for the Slayer, and was ready to make a final decision. But he needed to act fast, and decide if he was to let her go - so she could go find somebody else - or grab a hold of her with both hands and never let go … for as long as she lived.

He was not looking forward to the answer.

"Right! Onward and outwards!" The Doctor shouted enthusiastically, exchanging grins with his two best friends…

* * *

The Doctor, Martha and Buffy rush into the TARDIS, closely followed by a blast from an energy weapon. Buffy was limping slightly, due to an off-centre kick that almost broke her ankle.

"Get down!" shouts the Doctor who immediately covers a vulnerable Buffy. _Bang!_ He slams the doors to the TARDIS shut. Then he turns to both girls, frantically. "Did they see you?" Buffy shook her head. He turns to Martha.

"I don't know." Martha responded, promptly.

"But did they see you?" The Doctor insisted. Martha got defensive.

"I don't know. I was too busy running." Buffy hobbled over to the Pilot's seat, with some assistance from Martha. The Doctor looked stressed out.

"Martha, it's important. Did they see your face?" Martha massaged Buffy's sore ankle.

"No, they couldn't have."

The Doctor turns to Buffy.

"Buffy?" Buffy shook her head.

"I generally avoid contact with things trying to kill me."

The Doctor relaxed, but only for a microsecond.

"Off we go!" He sets the TARDIS in motion. But then curses when he sees something on the monitor. "ARGH! They're following us!" Martha looked stricken.

"But how can they do that? You've got a time machine." The Doctor had the answer to that.

"Stolen technology. They've got a Time Agent's vortex manipulator." He explained, rather hurriedly. "They can follow us wherever we go, right across the universe." Buffy frowned at him with concern.

"Doctor, what's wrong; apart from the obvious." The Doctor raked his hand through his hair, stressing out.

"They're never going to stop." He admitted, and Buffy's eyes narrowed in frustration. _Geez, can't we catch a break!?_ "Unless …"

"Unless, what?" Buffy prodded. The Doctor didn't reply immediately. Instead he came up to Martha and cupped her face in his hands. "Martha, you trust me, don't you?"

"Of course I do." She replied, frowning. He does the same thing to Buffy, who suddenly looks very afraid.

"What are you going to do?" She asked, in a small voice. The Doctor, seeing her panic, touches his forehead to Buffy's and attempts to comfort her.

"We need to hide, but this won't work unless I have both your help." He explained. "So I'll ask you again, Buffy, do you trust me?" Buffy paled, but nodded.

"With my life." The Doctor smiled with relief before kissing her forehead. Then just as quickly darts away, retrieving something from one of his hiding places.

"Good. Because it all depends on the both of you."

"What does?" Buffy gasps.

"What are we supposed to do?" Martha asks, looking confused and frightened.

The Doctor holds up an ornately decorated fob watch and shows both Buffy and Martha. There isn't anything specifically special about this watch, except that it screamed old-fashioned. Buffy reckoned it probably would've been something that Giles probably would own back at home. She mentally grinned and made a note to ask him when she got back. The Doctor looked at the girls pleadingly.

"Take this watch, because my life depends on it. This watch, girls. This watch is…"

* * *

A panting figure rushes through the English countryside.

It is very late, and nobody is around; but he runs as though a pack of wolves are chomping at his heels. He is a young man, fifteen or sixteen, slight and unfit – due to the hard panting – and he is completely terrified. The boy darts into a nearby housing area, and runs down it before finding a dead end. But not a complete dead end as there are fences, and he manages to scale one and disappear over it and continues his run. Eventually he darts into a village and turns down a nearby alley; only this time when he comes across another dead end, and this time it's a real dead end. The sound of slow, calculated footsteps approach; and the young man freezes.

"Gave me a pretty good run back there." The young man's eyes widen in horror. "Bet the blood's just pumpin'… bet it's hot." He turns to face the stranger, and pales. It is a large male vampire dressed in farmer's garb and wearing a cocky smirk. His golden eyes glinted wickedly in the moonlight.

The young man whimpers.

"Don't hurt me…" He pleads with a thick Irish brogue. The vampire raises an amused eyebrow at him.

"Don't hurt you?" He gives a laugh that shakes his overweight belly. "I'm gonna rip your throat out and suck on your arteries like a drinking straw. I don't get how 'don't hurt me' fits into this scenario." The vampire has the younger man backed up, blocking off any escape routes.

It looks like the end for the young man, but then hope intervened.

"Hey. What's going on?"

Both vampire and boy turned to see Buffy standing there dressed head to toe in a maid's uniform, trying to look as non-threatening as possible as she assesses the situation. They are surprised to see her.

"Get out of here, quickly!" The young man warns her, and the vampire grins wickedly.

"Or stay, I don't mind seconds." He leers at her. Buffy maintains a straight-face and pouts.

"Are you guys havin' a fight? 'Cause, you know, fighting's not cool." She comes towards them, still playing it light. The young man starts to panic even more.

"Are you deaf?! Get out of here, it's not safe!" The vampire turns and walks towards Buffy, unaware of the danger _he_ was getting into.

"No, no, lad. She wants to stay … I don't mind an appetizer."

Buffy smiles sweetly.

"Have you heard of the expression, 'Biting off more than you can chew?'" She questions innocently. The vampire frowns, with suspicion. _Where's the fear?_ "No? Alright then, how about 'Vampire Slayer'?" The vampire is blank-faced.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Buffy is genuinely surprised.

"Wow. Never heard that one." She continued walking closer. "Okay, how about, 'Oh God, my leg, my leg?'" He lunges for her. Buffy sidesteps, ratcheting a fist across his face, spinning him slightly and brings her foot up and down, hard into his knee. It makes an audible crack.

He falls, clutching to his leg.

"Oh God, my leg! Ah, God!" Buffy grins.

"See – now we're communicating." He bounds back up and slams her into the wall. He grabs her throat – she throws her arms up and seconds later HE'S slammed into the wall – face first. She looks around for a stake, but ends up getting hit hard by him a couple of times. But then a flying kick from her crashes him into a pile of boxes, he splinters the boxes, and a piece of wood flies up and she catches it. Buffy shrugs, he comes up and she slams it home. The vampire is dusted. The young man is speechless, and Buffy is still amazed that a vampire was ignorant of Slayers. "Wow, that's a first. A vampire who didn't know me. Not sure if I like that or not." She turns to the young man. "Was he alone?" He nods, still unable to comprehend what he had just seen. Buffy smiles. "You should get home."

Buffy turns to head back to the Farringham Boarding School for Boys, of which she and Martha were posing as scullery maids and Martha was the personal servant of the Doctor's human alter ego: a Mr. John Smith; a schoolteacher who transferred to the Boarding School two months ago after 'answering' the advertisement. It was decided that only one of them would stick closely to the Doctor, while the other blended in with the other staff members. Martha volunteered for the personal servant position. But Buffy scoffed at the 'volunteer' terminology. It was more like Martha insisted that she was the Doctor's personal servant; something that Buffy had no qualms with, as she tended to work better on her own.

'John' was naturally ignorant of both the supernatural world and his true heritage as a Time Lord. The three of them had been trying to keep under the radar of the aliens who were following them through time and space.

"How did you … do that?" The young man stammered. Buffy paused and glanced at him quizzically.

"It's what I do." She replied simply.

"But … you're just a girl … you can't be any older than I am." She smiles.

"That's what I keep saying."

Buffy waves at the bewildered young man before heading back to Farringham.

* * *

Buffy walks towards the Farringham school gates, and curses when she realises they have already been locked for the night. She glances around cautiously, making sure nobody is about before flipping over the fence and landing catlike on the school grounds. Having cleared it without disturbing the peace, Buffy retreats to the servant's quarters and sneaks in. Buffy makes it to the bedroom she shared with Martha, without getting caught, before she undressed and prepared to sleep the last few hours before had to get up and pretend to be a _ugh…_ scullery maid.

"One of these nights, you're gonna get in trouble, Buffy." Martha suddenly spoke out sleepily. Buffy jumped from where she had finally settled in bed. "It won't be whatever is out there that will kill you, it will be the Doctor when we finally leave this place." Martha warned the Slayer.

"Geez, Martha. You don't sneak up on somebody like that. You stamp or yodel." Buffy whisper-shouted.

Martha raised an eyebrow.

"What were you doing out there at …" She glanced at her watch and her eyes widened in shock. "3:30 in the morning?" Buffy shrugged, and looked unrepentant. "You do realise we have to get up at 6:00 in the morning don't you?" Buffy nodded.

"I was out patrolling. I couldn't sleep." The Slayer replied, laying back into the basic sheets, facing Martha who had turned to face her.

"Patrolling?"

"I'll tell you later on today. Let's just get to sleep, you've gotta wake the Doctor in the morning." Buffy reminded her. Martha continued frowning, but nodded. Within seconds, she was breathing deeply. Buffy rolled over and wondered what the day was going to bring her.

* * *

By the time the first few classes were over, Buffy was about ready to physically maim the next pompous little student that attempted to hit on her. But because she was pretending to be a maid, she wasn't allowed to retaliate.

"The Doctor better be grateful for this once it's all over." She sat up and studied her pruning hands, grimacing. "My mom certainly will appreciate it once she learns what I'm doing here. I'll be stuck doing the cleaning for ages…" She mumbled grumpily. Buffy gathers up her scrubbing brush, wet rag and bucket and moved on to her next designation; all while cursing foully underneath her breath. What she hadn't counted on was walking straight into somebody, and accidentally dropped the bucket of water.

Some of the water slopped onto the person's shoe.

"Oh sh-!" She managed to stop herself from cursing. "I'm so sorry!" Buffy immediately squatted and gathered up her fallen equipment. The person squats down in front of her and picks up the scrubbing brush which had skittered across the floor. Buffy looks up and blanches when she realises the person she had split water on was in fact the Doctor, who staring at her with a patient smile on his face. Buffy noticed his eyes were amused. "M-Mister Smith, I'm so terribly sorry, sir." She stammered, and wished that the floor would open up and swallow her.

"Please, there's nothing to be sorry about." John Smith replied. "A little water never hurt anybody." He handed her the scrubbing brush, which she took and placed back into the bucket. "May I be of assistance?" He asked politely.

Buffy's eyes widened in surprise.

"That's really nice of you, sir, but it wouldn't be proper." Buffy tried to decline, but John ignored it and helped her to her feet, picking up the bucket. "I insist, please. I always feel guilty when I see people waiting hand and foot on me. Besides, this bucket must be really heavy for you." Buffy really wanted to tell him that with her supernatural strength, picking up a heavy wooden bucket of water was cake, but she knew that she had to keep up appearances.

She nodded shyly.

"Well, uh, thank you, sir." Buffy replied reluctantly, and mentally kicking herself for actually acting like a weak female. She was no feminist, but she did hate the way women were supposed to act like before World War One, and how they were treated by the men. As she started walking towards her destination, John started making polite conversation.

"So, Elizabeth, where did you grow up?" Buffy mouthed the name 'Elizabeth' before she remembered that the name 'Buffy' would be unheard of. But she found that she didn't mind the name 'Elizabeth' coming from his mouth. Realising that he was still waiting for a reply, she answered with the truth.

"America. Los Angeles, California actually." Buffy replied, feeling somewhat awkward around the human Doctor at that moment.

"Ah, yes. I thought I recognised your accent. I've heard that it's a beautiful state. Am I correct?" Buffy smiled.

"Very."

"And do you feel homesick at all?" He asked, sounding a little bit concerned. Buffy bit her bottom lip.

"I miss my mom, but at the same time I enjoy my independence. But knowing that she's always going to be there for when I need her brings me comfort." Buffy replied eventually. John smiled approvingly.

"A very astute answer for one so young." He complimented her.

She blushed slightly.

"Thank you, sir." They arrived at his destination – his office and living quarters – sooner than they thought and neither, surprisingly enough, wanted to get on with their jobs; but unfortunately, Buffy realised that she had to or risk the wrath of the headmaster because of some of the nosier students. "I'd better get back to work. Thank you for helping me with my bucket, sir." She took it from him, and jumped a little when their fingers touched.

"You're very welcome, Elizabeth." John replied warmly.

"Buffy."

"I'm sorry?" He asked, with some confusion. Buffy tried again, summoning her courage. While she knew the Doctor wouldn't be annoyed with her for speaking her mind, the Doctor as John Smith would probably have a somewhat different attitude.

"With all due respect, and if the truth be told; if when it's just you and me, I'd prefer it if you called me Buffy." She requested respectfully. John looked a bit surprised.

"Buffy? What an extraordinary name." Then he smiled. "Very well, in private it shall be Buffy." Buffy smiled shyly.

"Thank you." Then she curtseyed. "Good day, sir." And she hurried away, leaving John staring after her; bemused but also charmed by this strange, but attractive young scullery maid.

* * *

John gathered up his books for the class he was to teach next, and struggled underneath its weight. As he wondered down the corridor, he came across Nurse Redfern talking with one of the younger students. He liked Nurse Redfern, and he had once flirted with the idea of a potential romance with the young matron; but she firmly explained to him about the recent loss of her husband and that she was not yet ready to commence another relationship at this point in time. So they agreed to remain as friends. And right now, with his thoughts lingering on 'Buffy', he was unsure about how to woo her.

"Excuse me, ma'am." The younger student, Jenkins, spoke to Nurse Redfern. She nods and turns, almost bumping into John in the process.

"Oh, good morning, Mister Smith." John accidentally drops some of the books. "Ooh! Let me help you."

"No, no, I've got it, no. Er, how best to retrieve? Tell you what. If you could take these." He hands some of the books to her, and he bends down to retrieve the fallen ones.

"Good."

"See, no harm done. So, er, how was Jenkins?" John asks, curiously.

"Oh, just a cold. Nothing serious. I think he's missing his mother more than anything." Redfern explains, looking sympathetic.

"Oh, we can't have that." John frowned, also sympathetic.

"He received a letter this morning, so he's a lot more chipper." She added, then gestured. "I appear to be holding your books." John flushed with embarrassment.

"Yes, so you are. Sorry, sorry. Just let me." John hesitated, trying to deliberate the best way to take back his books. Seeing this, Redfern smiled and shook her head.

"No, why don't I take half?"

"Ah, brilliant idea. Brilliant. Perfect. Division of labour." John grinned. Redfern giggled.

"We make quite a team."

"Don't we just." John agreed.

"So, these books. Were they being taken in any particular direction?" John nodded and gestured in the direction he was travelling in.

"Yes, this way." They both turned down a smaller corridor. John took up the conversation.

"I always say, Matron, give the boys a good head of steam, they'll soon wear themselves out." Redfern approved, then frowned slightly. She felt that they had been far too formal for two friends.

"Truth be told, when it's just you and me. I'd much rather you call me Nurse Redfern. Matron sounds rather, well, matronly." John looked surprised. She was the second woman to ask him to address her informally. Still...

"Ah. Nurse Redfern it is then." She wasn't finished.

"Though we've known each other all of two months, you could even say Joan." John frowned.

"Joan?" She nodded.

"That's my name."

John smiled and nodded. "Well, obviously."

"And it's John, isn't it?" Again, John smiled and nodded.

"Yes, yes, it is, yes." They managed to reach a notice board, that had various different leaflets, and posters tacked on. One poster in particular caught Joan's eye.

"Have you seen this, John? The annual dance at the village hall tomorrow. It's nothing formal, but rather fun by all accounts. Do you think you'll go?" John studied the poster with interest, and suddenly had an idea.

"I hadn't planned on it, but now that you've mentioned it; I may reconsider." He answered.

"Oh, good. I might see you there." She approved. John started to get excited. He finally had an excuse to properly woo 'Buffy'. He was so intent on his thoughts that he neglected to watch where he was going. "John, be careful." Joan warned. "The stairs."

"What about the stairs?" John asked, oblivious.

"They're right behind you." Joan insisted, looking more and more anxious. But it's too late; John suddenly takes a header down the staircase, right into the path of a startled Buffy, who was attending to her chores on the landing.

"Sir? Mister Smith, are you alright, sir?" Buffy crouches beside John trying to revive him. She looks up into the alarmed Joan's face.

"Quickly, Elizabeth. Help me, bring him to his quarters." Buffy nods and with Joan's assistance gets John to his feet and half-carries, half-drags him back upstairs to his quarters.

* * *

 **A/N: End of part one. Hope you are enjoying this so far** **Part two will be out soon!**

 **Please review in the meantime. TTFN xx**


	11. Why Won't My Heart Stop Pounding?

**Part Two! Takes place during 'Human Nature'. Enjoy! :D**

 **I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson.** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ **© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions. Cheers xx**

* * *

 **WHY WON'T MY HEART STOP POUNDING?**

" _They can't tear me down, they can't take you out of my thoughts."  
_ _ **~Metric: 'Eclipse (All Yours)' (Eclipse (All Yours) - Single [2010])**_

* * *

John sat on a chair in his quarters, looking and sounding miserable as Joan examined the back of his head for any signs of an injury.

"Oh stop it. I get boys causing less fuss than this." She admonished, gently. John scowled.

"Because it hurts." He insisted. Joan rolled her eyes, as Buffy re-entered the room carrying a cold compress in her hands. She looked worried.

"Is he alright, ma'am?" Buffy asked nervously.

It would really suck if the Doctor somehow hurt himself, and neither Buffy nor Martha were around to prevent it from happening. John instantly brightened the minute Buffy walked in, but Buffy barely acknowledged the interest as she was intent so on his well-being. Joan smiled reassuringly as she took the cold compress from Buffy and placed it gingerly on the back of John's head.

"Yes, I believe he is fine. Just a small bump on the head." Buffy sighed in relief.

"Well, that's good then." Suddenly, Martha bursts in.

"Is he all right?" She asks frantically and Buffy shook her head in exasperation. _Way to blow our cover, genius!_ She thought, annoyed.

Joan frowned in disapproval.

"Excuse me, Martha. It's hardly good form to enter a master's study without knocking." John looked at her with a raised eyebrow as Martha nodded absently.

"Sorry. Right, yeah." She rushes back over to the door and knocks it on it hastily. "But is he alright?" She asks Joan, before looking at John with concern. "They said you fell down the stairs, sir." John gives a small bemused smile.

"No, it was just a tumble, that's all." Buffy rose to her feet and started making herself busy.

"Have you checked for concussion?" Martha asked Joan, falling into 'doctor mode'. Joan looked slightly peevish, and Buffy made the mental note of chatting with Martha about this later on.

"I have. And I daresay I know a lot more about it than you." Joan reminded her. Buffy stopped herself in time from snorting at the irony. Martha faltered, remembering.

"Sorry. I'll just tidy your things." Martha said, and immediately started bustling around the room. Buffy turned back to John and Joan and gathered up her bucket.

"I'll just return to my duties. Glad you're feeling better, sir." Buffy stated, mentally kicking herself for acting so unlike herself, and wished that this whole adventure would be over and done with soon so she could return to her normal self. She curtsied awkwardly and turned for the door.

However, John stopped her unexpectedly.

"No, wait please. I'm sure your chores can spare you another minute or two." He insisted and Buffy fixed him with an incredulous look, but reluctantly came back into the room. "Martha; I was just telling Nurse Redfern, Matron, and … Elizabeth." Buffy hid a smirk when she realised he had just managed to stop himself from calling her 'Buffy' in time. "About my dreams." Buffy frowned. _No he hadn't. He was too busy moaning and bitching about his sore head…_ However, Joan seemed to know what he was talking about. John motioned for Buffy to come closer as he continued talking. "They are quite remarkable tales. I keep imagining that I'm someone else, and that I'm hiding." Buffy didn't miss the subtle widening of Martha's eyes when he says this, and Martha exchanges questioning glances with Buffy as though wondering if what John was saying was true. Buffy subtly shook her head no, which deepened Martha's confused frown. Both girls had the same thought: _What game are you playing, Doctor?_ But for different reasons.

"Hiding? In what way?" Joan wanted to know.

"They're almost every night." He explained, then shook his head with embarrassment as he glanced at Buffy curiously. "This is going to sound silly." Buffy fixed him with a serious look.

"Why should it sound silly, sir?" Buffy inquired.

John flushed.

"I dream, quite often, that I have two hearts." Both Martha and Buffy took a sharp breath, but Joan laughed lightly.

"Well, then. I can be the judge of that. Let's find out." As Joan pulls out her stethoscope to listen to John's chest; Buffy and Martha thought back to when they had first learned about the Doctor's two hearts. For Buffy, it was how it proved the Doctor was in fact an alien back when she had first met him in Sunnydale and mistook him for a vampire she needed to dust on her long list of 'things-to-Slay'. For Martha, she was following a hunch when she heard an unusual echo of the heartbeat she had confirmed on the left side of his chest. He had winked at her then; and Martha wished that he'd do it again now to reassure both her and Buffy that he was still there in the room with them, not trapped in an ordinary looking fob watch. "I can confirm the diagnosis. Just one heart, singular." Joan announced.

Buffy couldn't resist.

"May I?" Joan and John looked at Buffy in astonishment.

"I beg your pardon?" Joan blurted out in surprise. Buffy immediately backed down.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry." And she looked away in embarrassment. However, John seemed to realise what she had asked.

"No, it's quite alright. Nurse Redfern if you wouldn't mind?" Joan frowned in bemusement, but obliged handing the stethoscope to John who took it and offered it to Buffy, essentially creating Deja-vu with that simple gesture; as he had done the exact same thing when they had first met. Buffy hesitantly took the medical tool and kneeled down in front of him, putting the ear buds into her ears and placing the drum on his chest. _Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump._ Buffy moved it to the right, and froze when she heard nothing. _Damn… he really did turn into a human. That just seems so wrong somehow._

She lowered her arm slowly, almost disappointed and glanced up meeting his familiar deep brown eyes with her own green ones. She was shocked by what she was seeing in them: fascination, amusement and the unmistakeable and unapologetic emotion of love. Buffy gasped. And Martha looked on with deep jealousy. John cleared his throat, feeling a little uncomfortable. Buffy immediately took a step back.

"I'm sorry, sir." She stammered, and cursed her cheeks for burning. _Why won't my heart stop pounding?_ Joan was a combination of awkward, embarrassed and amused.

"Please excuse me, Mister Smith. I have a busy day ahead of me. Please take it easy for the rest of the day." Joan made her excuses. She was pleased that her friend had seemingly found someone … even if it just happened to be a scullery maid of all people.

"Yes, thank you again, Nurse Redfern. I'll keep that in mind." John acknowledged as Joan curtsied and left the room leaving both Buffy, Martha and John behind. Buffy decided that it was probably time for both she and Martha to make themselves scarce as well. _Before I do something that could fuck everything up…_ Buffy thought frantically.

"We better leave too, or the Headmaster will have our heads." Martha suggested slightly crisp, before Buffy could even open her mouth to say so herself.

"Yes, I agree. I'm glad that you're feeling better, Mister Smith." Buffy said politely, and gathered up her bucket.

She and Martha turned for the door.

"Wait!" They turned towards him, ever the dutiful servants; even if it was temporary. John gets to his feet and approaches Buffy, before glancing over at Martha. "If I might have a moment of Elizabeth's time, please Martha." She nodded stiffly, before retreating despite Buffy's wild, pleading eyes wishing for her to stay. But Martha had gone, and Buffy turned back.

"Did I forget something, sir?" Buffy asked professionally, but inwardly having a massive panic attack. John gave her a warm smile.

"John, please Buffy. If I have to call you 'Buffy' when we're in private, I insist that you show me the same courtesy of calling me 'John' when we're in private." Buffy gave a small smile, to disguise the giggle that was threatening to escape from her mouth. She just hoped the Doctor wouldn't give her what for when this entire adventure was over.

"If you insist… John." Buffy replied. He beamed.

"I don't wish to keep you, but I have, er, I have written down some of these dreams in the form of fiction. Not that it would be of any interest." John explained. Buffy's eyes widened. Was the Doctor somehow, instinctively, giving her permission to learn a little bit more about himself?

"I'd be very interested." Buffy replied, immediately.

John looked bashful.

"Well, I've never actually shown it to anyone before." He wonders over to his desk and picks up a small, TARDIS blue notebook that was almost bursting from the seams with information. Buffy eyed it greedily as John hands it to her. She opened it and read the first line on the first page.

" _'A Journal of Impossible Things'"_ She read. Then she turned to the next page, curiously and saw lots of inky scrawl and pictures. One of which included a very detailed picture of a Dalek. "What an interesting imagination you have, John." Buffy complimented him, all of a sudden feeling slightly intrusive.

John chuckled sheepishly.

"It's become quite a hobby." Buffy continued to turn the pages of the Doctor's personal history and facts his human alter-ego had scribbled down in his search for answers; creatures she had never even heard of or seen in her wildest dreams. It wasn't until she came across a very distinct partial drawing of a young girl's face that she froze. _This couldn't be who I think it is…?_

"You have a thing for pretty girls, John?" She asked, almost hesitantly.

John was quick to answer.

"Oh no, no, she's just an invention." He explained, and Buffy turned to take a look at his face as he explained. "This character, Rose. I call her, Rose. Seems to disappear later on." Buffy felt her heart break at the very subtle, but very obvious signs of sadness in John's eyes even though it was obvious that he wasn't aware of it. Desperate to move on from the topic, Buffy turned the page and that was when John stopped her and pointed to a drawing of the TARDIS. It had been labelled 'magic box'. "Ah, that's the box. The blue box. It's always there. Like a like a magic carpet. This funny little box that transports me to faraway places." Buffy smiled.

"Almost like a magical portal." Buffy puts her two cents in and earned a pleasantly surprised smile from John.

"Yes, I'd imagine that's a very accurate description. Brilliant theory, Buffy." She flipped another page, and glimpsed sketches of other men's faces. "I sometimes think how magical life would be if stories like this were true." John had a thoughtful expression on his face.

Buffy winced.

"If only." She agreed. _Truer than you think…_ John sagged a little bit.

"It's just a dream." Buffy flipped another page and saw a drawing of the pocket watch that started all of this. She closed the book and handed it back to John, but he pushed it back towards her. "No, no. You can borrow it for a while. I insist." Buffy's eyes widened.

"But, sir. This is yours, I couldn't possibly…" _Please don't tempt me, Doctor…_ Buffy protested wildly.

"Please. Consider it a thank you for helping me when I fell down those stairs." John insisted. Buffy reluctantly agreed.

"I'll guard it with my life." She promised, and she slipped the book into one of her oversized pockets of her apron.

"Be sure you do." He playfully teased. Buffy curtsied again before picking up her bucket and disappearing out of John's quarters.

* * *

Where upon she was immediately accosted by Martha. She grabbed the Slayer and pulled her out of earshot of others.

"Buffy, what the hell were you thinking?" Martha demanded. "What were you doing in there with him?" Buffy frowned defensively.

"What business is it of yours?" She demanded.

"Buffy, he's not the Doctor at the moment. You don't know that…"

"I don't know what?" Buffy asked, warningly. Martha sighed in frustration.

"Buffy, we don't belong here."

"Your point? He asked me, not the other way round." Buffy pointed out. "Look, Martha. We don't have time to discuss this." She cut off whatever Martha was about to say. "We better get back to work before the headmaster kicks both our asses. We'll talk about this later." She promised begrudgingly.

"You bet we will!" Martha promised. As the older woman walked off, Buffy muttered underneath her breath.

"God, you're worse than Giles on one of his 'holier than thou' pedestal rants." She sighed. "Must be an English thing."

* * *

That night, Martha and Buffy head off to the local in the village. Buffy waits outside at a table in the chilly air. She wears a thick, but simple woollen coat, gloves and a scarf; but she can still feel the chill, and it's just like home back in America. Martha returns to the table carrying a pint for herself and a bottle of soda for Buffy.

"God, it's freezing out here." Martha grumbled. Buffy nodded, but wanted Martha to get on with what she wanted to discuss with her. She accepted the bottle and unscrewed the cap, taking a sip as she waited. "Buffy, we need to discuss what went on after I left the Doctor's quarters today." Buffy scowled, swallowing her mouthful of soda.

"He just wanted to say thanks for helping him after he fell down the stairs." She explained defensively. "He wanted to do it in private." _And give me his personal journal to look at during my free time…_

"So why don't I believe you?" Martha asked. _Because you're paranoid or a jealous bitch?_ Buffy thought privately as she took another sip.

"I'm not sure why. But whatever he says to me in private is just that, private. It would be the same thing for you too." Buffy explained, matter-of-factly.

Martha, taken aback by her frankness, scowled and was about to retort but thought better of it when she saw the dangerous flash from the Slayer's eyes. Buffy hoped that when she introduced the Doctor to her friends and her mom that their reactions would be positive, and that if somehow a relationship did develop between the Doctor and herself that it didn't cause a massive shit storm. Suddenly, something flashes in the sky. Buffy blinked and turned to Martha, looking spooked.

"You saw that too, right?"

"Yeah." Buffy immediately abandoned her drink to go and investigate. "Buffy, wait for me!" Martha called after her and took off after the Slayer. Both girls found themselves running through a field.

"Shit, where did it go?" Buffy cursed. Martha came up to her panting, and fixing her with an annoyed glare.

"Buffy! Don't charge off like that. You could've gotten lost, hurt or worse!" Martha scolded her. Buffy, getting jack of Martha babying her, turns to tell her to pull her head in when they are blinded by a green light that appeared to be searching the ground for something. "What the bloody hell is that!?" Martha exclaimed. Buffy paled, and she got a sinking feeling that she hoped was wrong.

"I've got a hunch. Just hope I'm wrong." Buffy replied, and took off again.

The light was heading back towards the village; and Buffy and Martha followed after it, urgently. Buffy's hunches usually proved to be true; but they also sometimes proved to be also very deadly as well. And deadly + a human Doctor did not mix well at present. Unexpectedly, and for the second time that day, Buffy ran straight into John who grabs her shoulders to steady her. Martha skidded to a halt beside them.

"Anything wrong, ladies?" John asked, concerned by the disturbed expressions on their faces. "Far too cold to be standing around in the dark, don't you?" Something flashed out of the corner of Buffy's eye.

"Look in the sky." All of them crane their necks and followed the light's path through the star-studded sky. John smiled.

"All gone. Commonly known as a meteorite. It's just rocks falling to the ground, that's all." He explained. Buffy and Martha didn't agree. Something sinister had just arrived, they just knew it.

"I think it came down in the woods." Martha observed. But John shook his head.

"No, no, no. No, they always look close, when actually they're miles off." John was unknowingly in touch with his inner Doctor. "Nothing left but a cinder." He turns to both Buffy and Martha. "Now, I should escort you back to the school. Ladies?" Thoughts flew between Buffy and Martha; one of them should investigate where they had seen the 'meteorite' had landed, just to make sure it really was cinders. And the other should go with John to protect him just in case it was what they feared.

"You go on, Elizabeth. I need to follow up on something before I turn in tonight." Martha suggested, somewhat reluctantly and slightly resentful.

"Are you sure?" Buffy replied, hesitantly. Martha nodded.

"I am." Buffy nodded and took John's arm, earning a pleased smile from him.

"Then I shall bid you goodnight." John tipped his hat at Martha politely and led Buffy back towards the school, with Martha watching after them miserably. After they were out of sight, Martha took off in the direction of where they had seen the 'meteorite' had landed. However when she got there, there was nothing of interest to be seen. Stumped, but determined; Martha set off back to the school.

* * *

The next day, Buffy and Martha set off for their weekly visit of the TARDIS; both of them biking it to an old barn on the outskirts of town. Buffy noted with concern how quiet Martha had been that morning. They go in, and Martha unlocks the TARDIS with a Yale key that the Doctor had given both of them on their last adventure. Martha places a hand on the machine and smiles sadly.

"Hello." No response. She sighs, feeling stupid. "I'm talking to a machine." Buffy jumps when the TARDIS makes a wheezing sound. She smiles at the console in bewilderment.

"The Doctor is fine, as far as I'm aware. Still oblivious to being a Time Lord FYI." She responds. Martha looks at Buffy like she's nuts.

"Who are you talking to?"

"The TARDIS." Buffy replied, like it was obvious. Martha looked dubious.

"How do you know what the TARDIS is saying?"

"Apparently, it's alive and has psychic and telepathic abilities. Slayers have prophetic dreams sometimes, which means they are open to telepathy." Buffy frowned in bemusement. "At least, that's what Giles tells me." Martha shook her head, deciding to just let it go for now. There was silence for a few minutes, and each companion had their own painful memories of what had transpired here a few months before.

* * *

 _ **~BUFFY'S MEMORY~**_

" _Doctor, what's wrong; apart from the obvious." The Doctor raked his hand through his hair, stressing out._

 _"They're never going to stop." He admitted, and Buffy's eyes narrowed in frustration._ Geez, can't we catch a break!? _"Unless …"_

 _"Unless, what?" Buffy prodded. The Doctor didn't reply immediately. Instead he came up to Martha and cupped her face in his hands._

" _Martha, you trust me, don't you?"_

 _"Of course I do." She replied, frowning. He does the same thing to Buffy, who suddenly looks very afraid._

 _"What are you going to do?" She asked, in a small voice. The Doctor, seeing her panic, touches his forehead to Buffy's and attempts to comfort her._

 _"We need to hide, but this won't work unless I have both yours and Martha's help." He explained. "So I'll ask you again, Buffy, do you trust me?" Buffy paled, but nodded._

 _"With my life." The Doctor smiled with relief before kissing her forehead. Then just as quickly darts away, retrieving something from one of his hiding places._

 _"Good. Because it all depends on the both of you."_

" _What does?" Buffy gasps._

" _What are we supposed to do?" Martha asks, looking confused and frightened._

 _The Doctor holds up an ornately decorated fob watch and shows both Buffy and Martha. There isn't anything specifically special about this watch, except that it screamed old-fashioned. Buffy reckoned it probably would've been something that Giles probably would owned back at home. She mentally grinned and made a note to ask him when she got back. The Doctor looked at the girls pleadingly._

 _"Take this watch, because my life depends on it. This watch, girls. This watch is me." Both of them looked very confused._

 _"Right, okay, gotcha." Martha nodded, but when the Doctor moved on with his preparations, Martha stopped him. "No, hold on. Completely lost."_

 _"Need more information." Buffy agreed. The Doctor huffed in frustration._

 _"Those creatures are hunters. They can sniff out anyone, and me being a Time Lord, well, I'm unique. They can track me down across the whole of time and space." He explained._

 _"And that's good because…?" Buffy prodded._

 _"They can smell me, but they haven't seen me. And their lifespan will be running out, so we hide. Wait for them to die." He said. Martha didn't like the sound of the idea._

 _"But they can track us down." The Doctor nodded._

 _"That's why I've got to do it. I have to stop being a Time Lord." Buffy's eyes widened. "I'm going to become human." A complicated looking headset is lowered from the ceiling of the TARDIS…_

* * *

Both Buffy and Martha eyed the abandoned headset still dangling nearby above their heads with trepidation…

* * *

 _The Doctor eyed the strange headset, uneasily, and it filled both girls with a sense of dread. Clearly, if the Doctor was having second thoughts, what he was about to do was apparently not something taken lightly._

 _"I never thought I'd use this. All the times I've wondered." He mused._

 _"What does it do?" Martha asked. The Doctor turned and looked at them with a serious look in his eyes._

 _"Chameleon Arch." He replied. "Rewrites my biology. Literally changes every cell in my body." Buffy eyed the thing in horror. "I've set it to human." He puts the fob watch into the headset. "Now, the TARDIS will take care of everything. Invent a life story for me, find me a setting and integrate me." He looked at both of them regretfully. "Can't do the same for you two, so you'll have to improvise. I should just have enough residual awareness to let you in." He explained._

* * *

Buffy couldn't help but laugh at that last part of her memory. The Doctor certainly had enough residual awareness to let her in … too much in fact. But what she didn't know, was that the TARDIS had been witnessing firsthand the strong feelings her thief was developing for the young Chosen One. And while she didn't necessarily like it – since the TARDIS was a very possessive ship – she also wasn't foolish enough to not recognise that one could not help who they fell in love with … especially the Doctor. And the TARDIS had seen it once before when Rose Tyler was once the Doctor's companion and love interest.

But while Rose had been nice enough, and the TARDIS had no issues with the spunky blonde bombshell; she had known that Rose's romance with the Doctor was doomed from the start. However, with Buffy; the TARDIS had taken a peek into Buffy's distant future involving the Doctor, and was very happy with what she had seen. So, the TARDIS had decided to give the Doctor a little push in the direction of the Slayer and added falling in love with 'scullery maid Buffy' as part of his fictional life story as schoolteacher John Smith.

* * *

 _"But, hold on. If you're going to rewrite every single cell, isn't it going to hurt?" Martha questioned, already having concerns about this procedure._

 _The Doctor nodded._

 _"Oh, yeah. It hurts." Buffy's mouth fell open._

 _"But, that's barbaric!" She yelled out in protest. "We can't allow you to do that, Doctor! There must be another way!" Buffy exclaimed. But the Doctor fixed her with a stern look._

 _"Then by all means, please point it out to me!" The Doctor demanded, stressed._

 _Buffy was silent._

 _But she threw the stubborn Doctor a scathing look, demonstrating her protest at what he was attempting to do. Both she and Martha watched helplessly as the Doctor secured the Chameleon Arch to his head, and then hesitating only for a second pressed the button … and endured utter hell. Martha couldn't watch and buried her face into Buffy's shoulder, while the Slayer stood defiantly in place and bravely watched as her Doctor screamed in agony as the machine changed his biology._

 _ **~END OF BUFFY'S MEMORY~**_

* * *

Buffy jolted back to reality when she heard the Doctor's familiar cockney accent coming from the console screen Martha was currently watching. Buffy immediately lost interest. She had already seen the recording the Doctor had made for them earlier; but she couldn't understand why Martha was re-watching it. But she suspected it involved her, because Martha continued casting suspicious glances over to her and back to the image of the Doctor on the screen.

"This working?" The Doctor tested before clearing his throat. "Martha? Buffy? Before I change, here's a list of instructions for when I'm human. One, don't let me hurt anyone. We can't have that, but you know what humans are like." Buffy rolled her eyes. "Two, don't worry about the TARDIS. I'll put it on emergency power so they can't detect it. Just let it hide away. Four, no wait a minute, three. No getting involved in big historical events. Four, you two. Don't let me abandon you. And fi—" The Doctor's voice is cut off when Martha impatiently fast forwards through the list.

"But there was a meteor, a shooting star. What are we supposed to do then?" Martha whines.

"I don't think you'll find the answer there, Martha." The young trainee doctor looked at her flatly. "I mean, the Doctor is brilliant, but I don't think even he can predict when a random meteor or shooting star comes down to Earth." But Martha stubbornly persevered and unexpectedly got a useful piece of advice that even got Buffy's attention.

"And twenty-three, if anything goes wrong, if they find us; Martha, Buffy, then you know what to do. Open the watch. Everything I am is kept safe in there. Now, I've got a perception filter on it so the human me won't think anything of it. To him, it's just a watch. But don't open it unless you have to." He warned. "Because once it's open, then the Family will be able to find me. It's all down to you, girls. Your choice." The Doctor hops up from the monitor and walks off screen, but then stops and returns smiling warmly into the screen. "Oh, and thank you." Martha pauses the screen on the Doctor's smiling face and sighs miserably.

"I wish you'd come back." She looked up to see that Buffy had already left.

But why, Martha wasn't sure.

* * *

Classes were starting up again as Buffy returned to the school; and she was thankful that today was her day off, so she wasn't in any hurry. However, she did need an excuse to see if the fob watch that the Doctor used to house his Time Lord essence was still on the shelf in his study. But, it would be difficult because – much to her frustration – it was poor etiquette to barge into somebody's room without their permission, so she needed to find John and invent an excuse to get in there.

Not that it would a chore, of course; Buffy had already come to terms with her feelings for the Doctor, and was absolutely overjoyed that even despite the fact that he was currently in his human alter ego, the Doctor very much reciprocated her strong feelings for him. Shrugging, Buffy decided to go and find John; however he was bound to be in class at present, so she instead grabbed John's journal – which she kept with her at all times, not trusting the other staff to come across it and read it – and went to find a tree to sit under and read it cover to cover.

* * *

Buffy walked out of the school, and walked by the shooting range where the boys were practicing how to fire at rough targets on the grounds below the terrace wall. To her surprise they were being supervised by John and the Headmaster. Buffy risked a closer look; despite how extremely weird and unnatural it was to see the Doctor standing near or even tolerating the sight of guns.

"Concentrate!" John instructed sternly. The boys fired off rounds. "Hutchinson, excellent work."

"Cease fire!" The Headmaster called out. John turned and smiled respectfully at his superior.

"Good day to you, Headmaster." The stern looking man, nodded politely back.

"Your crew's on fine form today, Mister Smith." John warmed to the praise.

"Excuse me, Headmaster. We could do a lot better. Latimer's being deliberately shoddy." Hutchinson dobbed in and glared at his peer, a smaller pale boy with dark blonde hair neatly combed to one side of his head.

Latimer bristled indignantly.

"I'm trying my best." He protested. The Headmaster looked at Latimer with disapproval.

"You need to be better than the best. Those targets are tribesmen from the dark continent." Latimer seemed distracted by something as he replied to his teacher's criticism.

"That's exactly the problem, sir. They only have spears." Buffy frowned slightly in astonishment. _What the…?_ The Headmaster didn't appear to like being corrected; or at least having a younger person speaking their own mind or give their opinion.

"Oh, dear me. I hope, Latimer, that one day you may have a just and proper war in which to prove yourself. Now, resume firing." The boys carry on with the lesson. However, Buffy's sharp eyes noticed that Latimer was definitely distracted by something in his thoughts; and whatever it was that he was focusing on was obviously very disturbing.

Eventually, the machine gun stops firing.

"Stoppage. Immediate action." Nothing happens. Hutchinson looks down in confusion and glowers. "Didn't I tell you, sir? This stupid boy is useless." Buffy takes offence at the comment. Wasn't it obvious that Latimer was clearly dealing with something bad? Hutchinson stood up and addressed the Headmaster. "Permission to give Latimer a beating, sir?" The Headmaster turns to John.

"It's your class, Mister Smith." John didn't blink.

"Permission granted."

Buffy gaped in outrage.

The Doctor would never have condoned corporal punishment. The Slayer let it slide, because John was not the Doctor and wasn't expected to know any better than the social customs he had 'grown up' with. A stunned Latimer was led away by Hutchinson and a couple of his friends. Buffy sighs deeply and continues walking. John notices her and immediately lights up like candle. He approaches the wall.

"Ah, Elizabeth." Buffy stops in her tracks and pastes on a fake smile.

"Mister Smith." She curtsies, and holds up the TARDIS blue notebook in her hands. "I was just off for a walk, and decided to do a bit of reading." John smiles. "I'll give you back your journal when I next see you." Buffy promised.

John waved her off.

"No, no, no. You don't have to." He smiled that same cheeky grin Buffy loved seeing on his face – Doctor or not – and Buffy turned to go.

"If you'll excuse me, Mister Smith. I won't keep you from your class." Buffy hurried away, smiling when she could feel John's gaze on her back.

"Is something bothering you, my dear?" John wondered, sounding troubled by Buffy's slightly cold reception. She turned and gave him a blank look.

"I was just thinking of a man I knew. He hates violence; never wielded a weapon. He would rather search for a peaceful solution during times of fear and conflict." Her face clouded at a particularly negative memory of the Doctor. "He would've been horrified by all of this." Buffy gestured to the tents, sandbags, and numerous amounts of different weaponry in front of them. John frowned; for some reason Buffy's description of this particular gentleman sounded very familiar to him.

* * *

Two workmen are hoisting an upright piano up to the first floor window of the Ironmongers. Buffy and John were walking together on the quiet Farringham village street. When John had first asked her to join him, she was surprised but eager; having almost finished reading his journal when he had approached her underneath the tree she had nestled underneath.

"Please, tell me more about your friend." John had asked her. Buffy hesitated; how to describe the man walking beside her without giving anything away, and quite possibly risking his ire.

"There's not really much to tell about him. I only just met him recently, and he likes to keep things close to his chest." John was intrigued.

"Did he ever say why?" Buffy bit her bottom lip.

"No, he didn't. But I suspect it's because he's ashamed of his past." She admitted.

John looked sad.

"What a shame. How did you come to this conclusion exactly?"

"From the look in his eyes, how he takes death, violence and other types of mayhem personally; or feels responsible if he can't prevent something bad from happening." She stopped and looked him right in the eyes she had just described. "That, and I suspect he's lonely." John sighed and continued walking.

"I can't imagine ever feeling like that." John mused. Buffy gave a secret smile, but said nothing. "Where did you first meet your friend?" He asked, sounding slightly jealous. The Slayer smirked, if only John knew that he was getting jealous of himself.

"Back at home in America. I had just finished work for the night, and was making my way home when I was stopped by somebody who tried to take my purse." Buffy improvised. "I managed to get away and literally ran straight into him." It was John's turn to smirk.

"Yes, you do seem to make a habit of doing that." He teased, thinking back to the two occasions where Buffy had bumped into him in the school hallways. Buffy scowled playfully at John.

"Anyway, he assisted me. We've been … friends ever since." Buffy trailed off looking slightly upset.

John's playful smile dropped almost immediately.

"Is something wrong, Buffy?" _Yeah, unfortunately…_ Buffy thought bitterly, and decided to change the subject. The small weight in her pocket inspired her.

"In your journal, in one of your stories, you wrote about next year. Nineteen fourteen." John instantly looked uncomfortable.

"That was just a dream." He insisted. _Or a recollection of something that's already taken place…_ Buffy thought grimly.

"All those images of mud and wire. You told of a shadow. A shadow falling across the entire world." John sighed.

"Well then, we can be thankful it's not true." He confirmed firmly, but not unkindly. "And I'll admit mankind doesn't need warfare and bloodshed to prove itself. Everyday life can provide honour and valour, and let's hope that from now on this, this country can find its heroes in smaller places." John predicted, trailing off as a woman rings her bicycle bell, attracting both Buffy and John's attention as she peddles along. The two men with the piano struggle as it dangles from a fraying rope. Then a woman pushing a pram comes around the corner. Buffy's eyes widen as she can almost predict what would happen next and searches for a solution. "In the most…" John sees a boy standing next to him, with a cricket ball in his hand. The rope holding the upright piano frays even more, and the piano drops a bit. "Ordinary of, of deeds."

John immediately snatches the cricket ball from the protesting boy's hands and throws it at the scaffolding outside the Ironmongers. It falls and hits a plank that sends a brick flying through the air to knock down a milk churn in front of the pram, stopping it just before the rope finally snaps and drops the piano to ground only a feet from the pram. The piano falls to pieces startling both the woman and the baby in the pram. Immediately, workers and onlookers crowd around the woman and her crying baby. Buffy's mouth dropped open, stunned.

"Oh, goodness. That was impressive." Buffy praised John, who looked relieved. _Damn, Doc. You've got skills…_ John turned to Buffy, smiling.

"Miss Summers, might I invite you to the village dance this evening, as my guest?" He asked the Slayer with hope in his brown eyes.

Buffy beamed.

"Absolutely." John grins happily and offers Buffy his arm, which the Slayer takes. They continue walking. It was then that Buffy remembers a page in the Doctor's journal, that one the Doctor's former faces – the fifth one, she believed – was an expert in Cricket, and always kept a cricket ball in his possession at all times.

Buffy grinned in amusement. _Look out, John. Your inner Doctor is showing…_

* * *

Buffy and John head back to the school via a cart track. In a nearby field is a scarecrow, half-hanging from its cross-member. John was still eager to learn more about Buffy.

"So tell me more about yourself, Buffy. Your parents?" Buffy stiffened slightly, this was a sensitive topic; but thankfully John hadn't noticed. _Right Buff, this is where your improvisational skills need not to be on the fritz…_

"My father, Hank, is a lawyer, and my mother, Joyce, works in our town's art gallery. They are … wonderful parents." Buffy admitted uncomfortably.

John frowned.

"I sense there is more to this explanation."

"It's very complicated. I'm not sure how to describe it." Buffy hesitated.

"I'm sorry. Did they, er…"

"Die?" John nodded. Buffy gave a humourless smile, and shook her head. "My parents divorced a year ago." Buffy admitted. John looked very surprised, and Buffy feeling mortified continued walking. John recovered easily, and rushed to catch up with her.

"My condolences. That is very unheard of." He stated.

Buffy shrugged.

"Well, it's done. Nothing more to do about it." John went quiet. Buffy changed the subject once again, wishing to move on from the awkward topic. However, John stopped and frowned at an untidy looking scarecrow not too far away from where they were.

"That scarecrow is all skewed." They both walk up to it, with Buffy stopping half way to it. Scarecrows always give her the creeps. John tied its arm back onto the cross-member, and Buffy watched.

"Where did you learn how to draw so well?" She asked him curiously, and indicating the scribbles in his journal.

"Gallifrey." John replied automatically. Buffy froze at the familiar name of the Doctor's home planet.

Again, she improvised.

"Is that Irish?" _What the fuck, Buffy?_ John was thoughtful.

"Yes, it must be, yes." John agreed.

"You don't sound Irish, though." Buffy pointed out. John straightened up the lopsided scarecrow.

"Well, I'm not. My father, Sidney was a watchmaker from Nottingham, and my mother Verity was a nurse." John replied absently, as though reading from an invisible script. Buffy made a face. _Seriously? That's your fabricated life story?_

"That's very interesting." Buffy replied. John looked pleasantly surprised.

"Really? Right. Yes. Well, my work is done." He took a step back from the scarecrow and stood next to Buffy, admiring his work. "What do you think?" _Meh…_

"Brilliant."

"I'm discovering all sorts of new skills today!" John stated, proudly as he led Buffy away. Unknown to them both, the Scarecrow turned its head to watch them.

* * *

John led Buffy back to the school and back to his study. He asked for his journal back.

"May I sketch you, since you're so interested in my work?" John asked Buffy politely. Buffy nodded.

"Of course. Where would you like me?" She asked, as she mentally winced at how suggestive that sounded to her own ears. _I really just said that!?_

Thankfully, John didn't notice.

"Yes, uh, please sit right here." He indicated to a Chesterfield. "And please don't move until I say." John requested. Buffy sat down in a comfortable position and faced John as he turned to a fresh page in his journal. It took several minutes, but eventually, John set down his quill.

"May I see?" Buffy asked. John sat down next to her on the Chesterfield. He handed her the journal and Buffy glanced down at John's interpretation of Buffy's face and shoulders. She was stunned. "Oh, goodness. Do I really look like that?" John nodded.

"Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful." Buffy breathed, touching the page and being careful not to smudge the drawing.

"That's how I see you." John admitted, confidently. Buffy could hear her heart thudding in her ears, and she swallowed hard. She was unable to label John's confession as 'corny' because it wasn't. It was the best thing Buffy had ever heard in her sixteen-years on this Earth.

Slowly, she looked up at John.

"I've never been called _that_ before." Buffy admitted, truthfully.

The Slayer could count on one hand the amount of boys that competed shamelessly amongst themselves for her attention back at Hemery High, and back then Buffy had been the epitome of shallow and a social climber. She didn't once realise that the boys were just using her as a stepping stone on the popularity scale; and they only referred to her as 'hot' or a 'babe', but never 'beautiful'. John saw the sadness in her eyes, and wanted to get rid of it. He smoothed her hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek gently.

"Well, you better get used to it." He suggested before he leaned in and kissed her. This kiss was different to the other one that the Doctor had given her back in 2007. He had described it as a 'genetic transfer', a distraction for the Judoon. No, this kiss was a slow and gentle closed mouthed kiss. The type Buffy had heard her mom describe from her _Danielle Steel_ novels she sometimes liked to read. She just didn't realise that she'd be experiencing it for herself. John pulled away from the kiss first, and leaned his forehead against hers. "I've never …" Buffy pulled him back in for another kiss, when the door unexpectedly opens and Buffy jumped in surprise as they both turned to the door. It was Martha, staring at them both with shock and anguish.

Buffy's eyes widened in horror.

"Martha, what have I told you about entering unannounced?" John barked in annoyance.

Martha quickly runs out again. _Oh, shit…_ Buffy thought.

* * *

A tearful Martha leans on John's study door.

"That wasn't on the list." She whispered. Martha immediately left school grounds to seek the sanctuary of the TARDIS, and to check to see if she had overlooked something in hers and Buffy's instructions.

"Four. You two. Don't let me abandon you." The Doctor's voice spoke from the scanner. Martha was distraught.

"You don't have to worry about that, Doctor. You've certainly not abandoned Buffy. Your actions tonight made that perfectly clear." She said, spitefully. Martha fast forwarded to the Doctor's cheerful, smiling face.

"Thank you."

"You had to, didn't you? You had to go and fall in love with a human, and it wasn't me … it was Buffy." Her voice broke.

* * *

 **A/N: Poor Martha** **What's gonna happen now? Stay tuned for part three to find out ;) As always, please review with your thoughts.**

 **Cheers, guys xx**


	12. The Wrath of the Slayer

**Part three! :O Takes place during the latter part of 'Human Nature' and then starts with 'The Family of Blood'. Please enjoy xx**

 **I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson.** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ **© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions. Cheers xx**

* * *

 **THE WRATH OF THE SLAYER**

" _But you're here in my heart. So who can stop me if I decide, that you're my destiny?"_ _ **~Zac Efron & Zendaya: 'Rewrite the Stars' (The Greatest Showman [2017])**_

* * *

The next day after she accepted John's invitation to go the dance with him, Buffy suddenly realised she didn't have an appropriate dress for the occasion. So Buffy paid a rather embarrassing visit to Nurse Redfern.

"Excuse me, ma'am. I've been invited to the village dance tonight, but I don't have an appropriate dress. Would you be able to help me?" Buffy asked Joan nervously. Joan was surprised that Buffy was seeking out her help. But replied using a maternal tone.

"Certainly, my dear. You may borrow one of my dresses." Joan led Buffy to her quarters. "Take a seat, my dear, let me see what I can find." Joan immediately disappeared into her bedroom and came out with two dresses. Buffy stood as she entered. Joan held the first dress, a deep purple gown up against Buffy. "Ooh, no. Too old." She mused, and gently laid it down across her chair. Then she held up the second dress, a dusty pink number with bows and lace, and smiled approvingly. "Yes, very appropriate. And pretty."

Buffy smiled and took the dress.

"Thank you so much, ma'am." She thanked Joan, sincerely.

"You're very welcome, dear. Now go and try it on." Buffy hurried away to do so. "Let me know if you need any help." A short time later, Buffy came back out. "Oh, lovely!" Joan admired. "You look lovely, dear." Buffy beamed. Then Joan scrutinised Buffy's long blonde hair. "Now, hair…"

* * *

John looked at himself in the full length mirror, checking that everything was suitable. He was wearing a simple, but dapper brown tweed suit and bow tie; and looked extremely nervous. He was adjusting his bowtie for the umpteenth time, when there was a knock at the door to his quarters. He cleared his throat nervously, and strode to answer the door.

"Ah, Nurse Redfern." John greeted his friend politely. "Looking very lovely this evening." He charmed her. Joan blushed, and stepped into the room wearing a modest grey and green dress. Then John looked behind her and saw Buffy standing there in her borrowed dusty pink dress, looking sheepish. "Elizabeth." Buffy walked inside and curtsied to him. "You look wonderful." Joan had styled Buffy's blonde hair into a delicate upsweep with gently escaping ringlets.

"Thank you, Mister Smith. You look very nice yourself." She complimented him. Joan smiled at John's reaction and retreated a short distance away so that they could have a semi-private conversation between them. Buffy smiled shyly at John and approached him. "You'd better give me some warning. Er, can you dance?" John scratched his cheek nervously.

"I'm not certain, actually."

Buffy giggled.

"That's alright. We'll just go with what we know." John grinned and Joan chuckled from where she was standing. "But being serious now, is there anything that you're certain of?" Buffy asked.

John smiled tenderly.

"Yes. Yes." He takes her hands.

* * *

In the servant's quarters, Martha pours herself a cup of tea; absently wondering where Buffy was when Jenny, one of the other maids comes in. The tray has two cups and a small cake on a stand, and Martha, knowing that Buffy was American and didn't like tea decided to offer the treat to Jenny.

"Oh, Jenny! You're just in time. Come and look at what I've got. Mister Poole didn't want his afternoon tea so Cook said I could have it. And there's enough for two." Martha smiled a little at the other maid, still looking a little sad; but trying to get over the fact that the Doctor would never love her the way she wanted him to.

She was a little peeved with Buffy, but realised that it wasn't the Slayer's fault; the signs had been there since their trip to visit Shakespeare. And Martha knew that it was time she accepted it. It was just going to take some time. Martha frowned a little when Jenny hadn't made any move to take a seat like she knew Jenny probably would have. "What are you standing there for?" Jenny sniffs deeply. "Are you alright?" Jenny answered with a creepy staring expression.

"I must have a cold coming on." She replied. Martha looked troubled.

"I feel sorry for them."

"Sorry about who?" Jenny asked, robotically. Martha raised an eyebrow.

"Mister Smith and Elizabeth. I don't think their relationship is going to last very long." She theorised, and felt guilty for the giddiness she could feel. Neither Buffy nor she knew if John's feelings for Buffy would die the second he became the Doctor again.

"Why?" Martha paused, trying to think of a realistic answer that wouldn't sound too suspicious or strange.

"It's like his contract comes to an end. And she's going to be heartbroken." Jenny continued to study Martha with unblinking eyes that were starting to freak Martha out.

"Leave for where?"

"All sorts of places." Alarm bells started ringing in Martha's head, and she decided to be careful with what she said next. Something didn't seem right with Jenny all of a sudden. "I wish I could tell you, Jenny, but it's complicated." Martha explained, uneasily.

"In what way?"

"I just can't." Martha frowned.

"It sounds so interesting. Tell me. Tell me now." Jenny demanded almost violently. Martha's instincts were screaming at her to get the hell out of there, find Buffy – who was probably already with John – and reawaken the Doctor. She smiled politely at Jenny and improvised a plan.

"Would you like some tea?" Martha asked indicating the teapot.

"Yes, thanks." Jenny replied. Martha was getting freaked out.

"I could put a nice bit of gravy in the pot. And some mutton. Or sardines and jam. How about that?" Martha asked, her stomach flipping uncomfortably.

"I like the sound of that." Martha managed to mask a grimace with a false grin.

"Right. Hold on a tick." Martha rises from the table and leaves the room, heading outside and breaking into a run. Jenny goes to the window and fires a green energy ray at her from a gun.

* * *

Martha bursts into John's study unannounced and breathless. Buffy, John and Joan spin round in shock.

"Martha?" Buffy looks at her in confusion, while both John and Joan gaze at her with disapproval. Martha is surprised by what Buffy is wearing, but files it away for later in favour of alerting Buffy to the immediate danger.

"They've found us." Martha tells her, and Buffy's eyes widen in horror.

"This is ridiculous."

"Martha, I've warned you." John attempts to shield Buffy from Martha, suspecting that she might be mad.

"They've found us, and I've seen them. They look like people, like us, like normal." Buffy looks thoughtful, taking it all in as Martha turns and addresses John. "I'm sorry, but you've got to open the watch. Where is it?" Martha dashes over to where John usually kept the fob watch on the mantelpiece.

It wasn't there.

"Martha? What's wrong?" Buffy came over to her, but John gently stopped her by grabbing her wrist. Buffy turned and gestured reassuringly at John that she wasn't in any danger.

"Oh my God. Where's it gone?" She spins round and faces them frantically. "Where's the watch?" Martha demands.

"What are you talking about?" John questioned, cautiously. Martha gestured to the mantelpiece.

"You had a watch. A fob watch. Right there." Martha pointed at the spot where the fob watch had been the last time she had come into the room to tidy up. Buffy paused, also concerned. She wasn't lying, which meant that somebody with sticky fingers had unknowingly (and stupidly) pocketed the watch without John knowing. _Perfect, it's just one thing after another…_ Buffy mentally groaned.

John shook his head.

"Did I? I don't remember." Joan waded forward.

"I don't see what concern it is of yours." Martha protested, in frustration.

"But we need it." Martha looked extremely stressed. Buffy started looking around the nearby area, checking to see if the watch had mistakenly been knocked off the mantel and skittered somewhere hidden unintentionally. "Oh, my God, Doctor." Buffy's head snapped up and gestured frantically for Martha to stop talking, but Martha wasn't within eyeshot. "We're hiding from aliens, and they've got Jenny and they've possessed her or copied her or something, and you've got to tell me, where's the watch?" Joan looked confused, but John made an 'ahh' expression and moved to placate Martha.

"Oh, I see. Cultural differences." Martha immediately looked offended, and Buffy winced. "It must be so confusing for you. Martha, this is what we call a story." He explained, and Martha was visited with an urge to strangle him.

"Oh, you complete..." Martha stopped herself from saying what she really thought, and drew in a deep breath. "This is not you. This is nineteen thirteen." She explained.

John nodded in agreement.

"Good. This is nineteen thirteen." Buffy pulled Martha aside. The older woman looked at the Slayer with confusion.

"Martha, I can handle this. Go and see if you could find the watch elsewhere, it couldn't have gone far." Buffy insisted. But Martha was desperate, and wanted to try something. Buffy's eyes widened when she saw the determined expression on her friend's face and she moved to intercept her; but Martha was very nimble when she wanted to be. "No, Martha, don't!"

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, but I've got to snap you out of this." Then Martha hauls off and slaps John, hard. Buffy grabbed Martha and pulled her away from him.

"Martha!" Joan shouts in alarm. Buffy scowls at Martha, angrily.

"Martha, I told you not to!" She whispers harshly in her ear, but Martha ignores her.

"Wake up! You're coming back to the TARDIS with me." John straightens up and throws Martha an outraged glare, as he rubbed his cheek.

"How dare, how dare you!" He goes over to Martha and seizes her by the upper arm. "I'm not going anywhere with an insane servant." Martha sighed in exasperation. "Martha, you are dismissed. You will leave these premises immediately. Now get out!" He pushes Martha out into the corridor. Buffy throws her an apologetic look, and gestures for Martha to continue looking. She nods, and goes without a fuss. Buffy looks pained, and goes over to examine John's face, which was now flushed. But John reassured her he was okay.

"The nerve of it. The absolute cheek. You think I'm a fantasist? What about her?" John paced, as Buffy watched nervously. Joan looked thoughtful and approached John.

"The funny thing is, you did have a fob watch, right there. Don't you remember?" Buffy silently cheered Joan on. Perhaps they would get somewhere after all. John shakes his head and sighs before glancing at the clock.

"We better get going, ladies, or we'll be late." He offers his arms to Buffy and Joan, who take them immediately.

Buffy looks extremely worried.

* * *

In the courtyard, Martha bumps into Latimer as she rushes back to the servant's wing.

"Oh, sorry!" She calls back to him, distractedly. Latimer frowns when he suddenly sees Martha running away from him wearing her 2007 clothes.

 _"Sorry!"_

"Martha?" Latimer calls, frowning in confusion. Martha looks back, apologetically.

"Not now, Tim. Busy!" Martha runs to the old barn and into the TARDIS, searching through the Doctor's abandoned trench coat for the watch. But comes across something even better that could jog John's memory.

She grins in triumph.

* * *

John escorts Buffy and Joan to the village hall where the dance was being held. Buffy glances around cautiously for any signs of something or somebody suspicious. She was also a little surprised by the lack of vampires in the vicinity, but put it down to them being wary of the visiting Family. John and Joan were engaged in conversation, and Buffy tuned them out as she was in Slayer-mode.

Latimer follows and watches them from around the corner.

"Spare a penny for the veterans of the Crimea, sir?" A beggar addresses John, grabbing Buffy's attention. John gives him a pleasant smile.

"Yes, of course." He pulls some coins from his pocket. "There you are." He places them in the cup before he, Buffy and Joan go inside.

Latimer follows while the Beggar is checking the coins in his cup.

* * *

Once inside, they looked around at the simple decorations and Joan spots a person she wishes to speak with. She makes her excuses accordingly, leaving John and Buffy alone. John leads Buffy over to a vacant table and pulls a chair out for her. Buffy, who is unused to this sort of treatment, is weirded out by it all; but decides to just go with the flow. John sits beside her and they observe the festivities and soak up the atmosphere, when an announcer suddenly speaks.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Please take your partners for a waltz." Buffy froze, inwardly panicking. _Oh God! This is NOT going to be anything like dancing at the Bronze…_ John got to his feet, and extended a hand to Buffy. She smiled and took it, allowing John to lead her to the dancefloor. Buffy could swear she could hear Willow's voice in her head, encouraging her.

 _"Don't be a coward, Buffy. Take your own advice: carpe diem…"_ Buffy immediately felt emboldened and went with the flow, falling easily into step with John as he glided them around the room.

She grinned.

"You can dance." Buffy praised.

John chuckled.

"I surprise myself." They bumped into another couple. "Sorry." Outside, Martha walks up to the door; but is stopped by the beggar.

"Oh, staff entrance, I think, Miss." Martha gives him an impatient look.

"Yeah? Well, think again, mate." She sidesteps him and enters the building.

From the bushes, some scarecrows watch. Martha enters the room and glances about. She notices Joan standing among some friends, laughing and sipping some punch, and occasionally glancing across the room at something, before smiling approvingly. Martha follows Joan's gaze and immediately spots Buffy and John sitting at a table not far away from the dancefloor. They were laughing and talking, looking completely focused upon each other; acting like they were the only two people in the room.

Martha forced down the bitter emotions building up and continued observing. She needed to talk with Buffy alone. She saw her opportunity when John rose from the table. He took Buffy's hand and brushed a kiss across her knuckles before moving for the refreshments table. Martha moved forward. Buffy went all business when she saw Martha. Her friend took a seat at the table from her.

"Martha, did you find the watch?" Buffy asked, urgently. Martha shook her head, but smiled.

"I found something else instead."

"What?" Buffy sat forward, interestedly.

"You'll find out soon enough, I just hope it works." Martha replied, sounding slightly less confident than she looked. John returned to the table carrying two glasses of punch. He frowns when he sees Martha.

"Oh, now really, Martha. This is really getting out of hand. I must insist that you leave." Martha fixes Buffy with a triumphant look before she holds up the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. Buffy's eyes widened in understanding. John's eyes lock onto the instrument and he falters a little.

He can't seem to look away from it.

"Do you know what this is?" Martha asks him, using a gentle but firm voice. "Name it. Go on, name it." Martha said. John reaches out and takes the screwdriver from her, and Buffy watches him; intently. "You're not John Smith. You're called the Doctor." John looks at Martha in astonishment. She looked at Buffy, and gestured at John. Buffy was very reluctant, but knew it was the right thing to do if they wanted the Doctor back.

"Martha's right, John." Buffy said, quietly. John looked at Buffy with wide eyes. "The man in your journal, he's real." Buffy paused. "He's you." None of them were aware of a little girl sitting in the corner of the hall.

She had overheard every word spoken, and she was now smiling.

* * *

Outside, unaware of the world crashing around Buffy's ears, the beggar glances up as Baines, Clark and Jenny approach.

"Evening, all. Spare a penny, sir?" The beggar asks Baines, brightly. Baines barely acknowledges him.

"I didn't spare you." He replies before vaporising the old soldier with his green ray gun. Then he, Clark and Jenny enter the hall.

* * *

Latimer looks out of a window in the village hall, and jumps in fright when a scarecrow pops up in front of him. He closes the curtain. Just then Clark, Baines and Jenny entered the room.

"There will be silence! All of you!" Clark bellows. The crowd react in shock and murmur at Clark's rudeness. Some scarecrows enter. "I said, silence!" One of the men steps towards Clark in confusion.

"Mister Clark, what's going on?" He asks. The poor man gets vaporised. Buffy and Martha react in horror, and turns quickly to a thoroughly bemused John.

"Mister Smith? Everything we told you, just forget it! Don't say anything." She tells him hurriedly.

Baines steps forward.

"We asked for silence!" The crowd falls silent, just as Joan comes over to Buffy and John's table looking frightened. Baines scans the crowd, calculating. "Now then, we have a few questions for Mister Smith." His beady eyes zero in on John.

The little girl, whose name is Lucy, steps forward.

"No, better than that. The teacher. He's the Doctor." Buffy and Martha stiffen. "I heard them talking." Baines looked amused.

"You took human form."

"Of course I'm human." John stated. "I was born human, as were you, Baines. And Jenny, and you Mister Clark." He gestures helplessly. "What is going on? This is madness." Baines chuckled.

"Ooh, and a human brain, too. Simple, thick and dull."

"But he's no good like this." Jenny observed.

"We need a Time Lord." Clark added. Baines shrugged.

"Easily done." He takes a step forward and raises his gun, pointing it at John. "Change back!" John's eyes widen in fear.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He stated. Baines grows more insistent.

"Change back!"

"I literally do not know." John insists. Jenny snatches Martha, and puts her gun to her head. Buffy immediately gets up and goes to her friend's aid.

"Martha! Oof!" Buffy is immediately knocked out. John cries out in outrage.

"Buffy!" Both he and Martha cry out.

"Get off me!" Martha struggles. Jenny ignores her.

"She's your friend, isn't she?" She asks John, indicating to Martha. "Doesn't this scare you enough to change back?" John repeats himself, still staring at Buffy's unmoving body on the ground.

"I don't know what you mean!" Then Jenny's eyes zero in on Buffy, remembering.

"Wait a minute. The maid told me about Smith and this other maid." She indicated Buffy.

"Alright then." Clark trains his gun on Buffy. Now both Martha and Buffy are being held hostage by them. John glances helplessly at both girls.

Baines grins in triumph.

"Have you enjoyed it, Doctor, being human? Has it taught you wonderful things? Are you better, richer, wiser?" John looks horrified. "Then let's see you answer this. Which one of them do you want us to kill? One maid or the other? Your friend?" He indicated to a grim looking Martha. "Or your lover?" He indicated to a knocked out Buffy. "Your choice." John refused to reply.

The Family was getting impatient.

"Make your decision, Mister Smith." Jenny demanded, holding Martha tighter to her chest.

"Perhaps if that human heart breaks, the Time Lord will emerge." Baines mused. But just then; a tiny, all too familiar blonde stepped between Baines and John.

"Damn, you're ugly…" Buffy said. The Slayer was awake and she was pissed. Out of sight, Latimer takes the watch from his pocket and opens it. Golden energy shimmers from it, and the Family turn their heads quickly, momentarily distracted.

"Time Lord…" The watch whispered.

"It's him!" Baines shouted.

Latimer closed the watch, giving Buffy and Martha enough time to take control: Buffy dropped and swept the legs out from underneath Clark and snatched up his gun, pointing it at Baines; while Martha gets the gun off Jenny and uses her as a shield while aiming the gun at Jenny's head. John is confused by what he sees.

"Alright! One more move and Buffy and I shoot." Martha states. Baines looks unimpressed.

"Oh, both maids are full of fire." He observes.

"And you can shut up!" Martha snaps. She fires her gun up at the ceiling. Clark glances up at his 'son' from where he was lying on the floor.

"Careful, Son of Mine. This is all for you so that you can live for—" He is cut off when Buffy presses her foot into his throat.

"I'm fairly certain Martha told you to shut up." Buffy stated sweetly, but her eyes were hard and ruthless. This Family had just threatened the man she loved, and now they were going to pay dearly.

Baines was getting cocky.

"Shoot you down." He warned, smirking. Buffy glanced up at him.

"Yeah, try it. We'll die together."

"Would both really pull the trigger? Looks too scared. The both of them." Martha narrowed her eyes.

"Scared and holding a gun's a good combination. Do you want to risk it?" She retorted harshly.

They looked at Buffy.

"I have a feeling that all of you are history buffs. I'll have you know that there is a term that describes me. I'm known as the Slayer. So go on, look me up." The Family were silent for a few moments before they lowered their guns. Buffy turns and looks at John. She is dismayed to see a look of incredulity in them. But still, she steels herself and does her job.

"John, I need you to get everyone out." Buffy told him. "There's a door at the side. It's over there." John hesitates. It's clear he's debating with himself about whether or not he should leave without her. That gives Buffy hope, but also frustrates her.

Luckily, Joan takes over.

"Do what she said. Everybody out, now. Don't argue, Mister Jackson. They're mad. That's all we need to know. Susan, Miss Cooper, outside, all of you!" The villagers need no other invitation, and they run out screaming. John follows Joan's example.

"Move yourself, boy. Back to the school, quickly." He turns back, intent on helping both Buffy and Martha, but has no idea why. Martha notices this.

"And you too, Mister Smith. Go on, just shift!"

"But what about you two?" Buffy and John lock eyes, both clearly worried about the other. Martha swallows, hard.

"Mister Smith, we think you should escort Matron to safety, don't you?" Buffy nods in agreement. John reluctantly goes.

* * *

Once John had left, Jenny gets away from Martha and Clark gets to his feet, very spry for a portly man. Both Buffy and Martha eye the Family warily.

"Don't try anything. We're warning you." Both Buffy and Martha still have their guns trained on Baines. "Or Sonny boy gets it." None of the Family are intimidated by Martha, but eye Buffy cautiously. They had been since she had mentioned she was the Slayer.

"She's almost brave, this one." Baines stated, looking at Martha unblinkingly.

Jenny smirks.

"I should have taken her form. Much more fun. So much spirit." Martha starts to back away when the Family move forward, so Buffy fires off a warning blast at their feet causing them to stop immediately.

"Back off!" Buffy growled. Martha glanced at Buffy gratefully.

"What happened to Jenny? Is she gone?" Martha demanded, almost fearing the answer. But Buffy knew the formerly bubbly young scullery maid Jenny once was, was most definitely dead. It was just one more mark against this Family that made Buffy all the more determined to avenge.

"She is consumed. Her body's mine." Jenny replies smugly. Martha shuddered as Buffy pulls the rest of the pins and ribbons free of her hair, and lets it flow down her back. The delicate upsweep had already been ruined the moment she had hit the deck after being struck down.

"You mean she's dead?" Martha whispered with angry grief.

"Yes. And she went with precious little dignity. All that 'AH!' screaming." Jenny taunted. The Family started to advance, and Buffy knew that firing off another warning round would do little to stop them now. Scarecrows grab both of them from behind, scaring Martha; but Buffy merely flipped hers onto its back and held it down with her foot before blasting it with her gun – she was thankful it was just made of straw – before backhanding the one holding Martha.

"Get the gun!" Baines hollered. Buffy considered her choices before flinging her gun and Martha's gun out of reach and legging it, pulling Martha along with her. Another scarecrow gathers up both guns and returns them to their masters. "Good work, soldier." Baines praises his henchman as he watches both girls leave the hall.

* * *

Buffy and Martha run for their lives and nearly barrel into both John and Joan who had foolishly stayed behind; probably by John's choice. Typical. John was just as stubborn as a human, than he was as the Doctor. _Not smart, John!_ Buffy thought with annoyance.

"Don't just stand there, move!" Martha shouted, frustrated as Buffy ignored the proper Edwardian etiquette observed by both the men and women and seized John's hand, pulling him along the street and breaking off into a run. "God, you're rubbish as a human." Martha observed before turning to Joan. "Come on!" She said as she and Joan ran to catch up with a nearly out of sight Buffy and John. _Woah, Buffy can run nearly as fast as the Doctor can…_ Martha thought as the Family stepped out of the village hall.

"Run! Ah, this is super. We've been in hiding for too long. This is sport." Baines declared eagerly.

Jenny sniffs the air.

"I can smell the schoolteacher. He's gone back to his Academy." Baines looks at his 'mother' with interest.

"And what do we know about those girls?" Jenny's body glows green.

"This body has traces of memory. She was once both their friend. Martha and Buffy would go walking to the west." Jenny looks at Clark. "Husband of Mine, follow their scent. Go to the west. Find out what they were keeping secret."

"Soldiers!" Clark leaves with some of the scarecrows. Baines turns to his 'mother'.

"As for you, Mother of Mine, let's go to school."

* * *

About halfway to Farringham, Buffy had dropped John's hand; wanting to help John save face in this thoroughly old-fashioned world. To her surprise, John grabbed it back straight away and she looked at him with confusion. However, John did not meet Buffy's eye. The second the four of them made it through the main doors of the boarding school, he grabs the bell and starts ringing it.

"What are you doing?" Martha asked, as Buffy assisted a panting Joan. John had a determined frown on his face.

"Maybe one man can't fight them, but this school teaches us to stand together." He tells her. "Take arms! Take arms!" He raises his voice to be heard throughout the school. Buffy looked horrified. This was not what she or Martha had in mind.

"You can't do that!" Buffy protested. John gave her a stern look.

"You want me to fight, don't you?" He continued to ring the handbell. "Take arms! Take arms!" Almost immediately students started filing down the staircase and rushing around arming themselves. Buffy looked pensive, as Hutchinson broke away from the mob of boys and approached John in confusion.

"I say sir, what's the matter?" Hutchinson inquired, looking for the problem. John darted around the entrance hall, still ringing that damned bell.

"Enemy at the door, Hutchinson. Enemy at the door. Take arms!" Hutchinson immediately obeyed. Joan leaves to her post without a word, while Buffy quickly retreats to the servant's quarters to change into something more battle-friendly.

She didn't want to ruin Joan's dress.

* * *

Outside the school; Baines, Jenny and Lucy were listening to the students and teachers rushing about like worker ants.

"They're sounding the alarms." Baines observed, with a casual smile on his face. Jenny frowned.

"I wouldn't be so pleased, Son of Mine. These bodies are silly and hot. They can damage and die. That's why we need the Time Lord." Baines nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. They will have guns. Perhaps a little caution." He turns to Lucy. "Sister of Mine, you're such a small little thing. Find a way in and spy on them." Lucy gave a little smile and immediately skipped away.

* * *

The guns are being passed around, and Martha is shadowing John; protesting the entire time.

"You can't do this, Doctor!" He was ignoring her. "Mister Smith!"

"Redfern, maintain position over the stable yard. Faster now. That's it!" Martha tried again.

"They're just boys. You can't ask them to fight. They don't stand a chance!" John turns on Martha.

"They're cadets, Miss Jones. They are trained to defend the King and all his citizens and properties." Just then the Headmaster appears.

"What in thunder's name is this?" He bellows angrily. "Before I devise an excellent and endless series of punishments for each and every one of you, could someone explain very simply and immediately exactly what is going on?" John steps forward to explain.

"Headmaster, I have to report the school is under attack." The Headmaster looks unamused.

"Really? Is that so? Perhaps you and I should have a word in private." He starts to lead John away, but he remains firm.

"No, I promise you, sir. I was in the village with Matron." He deliberately doesn't mention Buffy's presence with them both, to protect her. "It's Baines, sir. Jeremy Baines and Mister Clark from Oakham Farm. They've gone mad, sir. They've got guns." The Headmaster suddenly becomes serious. "They've already murdered people in the village. I saw it happen." The Headmaster turns to Joan.

"Matron, is that so?"

"I'm afraid it's true, sir." Joan confirms, solemnly.

"Murder on our own soil?"

"I saw it. Yes." Joan insists. The Headmaster only takes a second to make a decision before turning to John with approval.

"Perhaps you did well then, Mister Smith. What makes you think the danger's coming here?" John hesitated before replying.

"Well, sir, they said."

"Baines threatened Mister Smith, sir. Said he'd follow him. We don't know why." Joan added. The Headmaster nodded.

"Very well. You boys, remain on guard. Mister Snell, telephone for the police. Mister Philips, with me. We shall investigate." Martha stepped into his path, pleading with him.

"No! But it's not safe out there!" The Headmaster looked at Martha like she was a particularly annoying fly he just couldn't swat away.

"Mister Smith, it seems your favourite servant is giving me advice. You control her, sir." He brushes past Martha with Philips following, and she closes her eyes, trying to rein in her frustration.

"I've got to find that watch." Joan follows Martha, sympathising with her. It was clear that Martha was trying to help prevent anymore death; but the men all around her were being too pigheaded. Both pass by a hidden Latimer, who still has the Doctor's fob watch.

"Hold me. Keep me safe. Keep me dark. Keep me closed." The watch instructs him. "The time is not right. Not yet. Not while the Family is abroad. Danger!" Lucy sneaks into the school.

* * *

Buffy re-joins the battle – her long hair had been shoved up into a messy knot, and she had dressed in one of her older dresses, and was wearing some of her hidden arsenal; taken with her when she had first met the Doctor back in Sunnydale – and saw the Headmaster walking to confront Baines and Jenny, with Mister Philips in the background observing.

"So. Baines and one of the cleaning staff. There's always a woman involved." Buffy pulled an irritated face at the slur. "Am I to gather that some practical joke has got out of hand?" Baines gave a creepy smile.

"Headmaster, sir. Good evening, sir. Come to give me a caning, sir? Would you like that, sir?" The Headmaster frowned.

"Keep a civil tongue, boy." He warned him. Philips strode forward, trying to act as peacemaker.

"Now come on, everyone. I suspect alcohol has played its part in this." Buffy spies John watching the commotion from a nearby window, and she makes a beeline for him. As she stands next to him, John turns his head and glances at her; apparently making sure she was alright before focusing upon the Headmaster once again, looking stricken. "Let's all just calm down." Philips glances at the scarecrows gathering behind Baines and Jenny with curiosity. "And who are these friends of yours, Baines, in fancy dress?" Baines grins.

"Do you like them, Mister Philips?" He asks, strolling casually over to one of them. "I made them myself. I'm ever so good at science, sir. Look." He rips off the scarecrow's arm. It doesn't flinch. Buffy's eyes narrow dangerously, while John looks freaked out. "Molecular fringe animation fashioned in the shape of straw men. My own private army, sir. It's ever so good, sir." Baines hands the arm back to the scarecrow, who simply reattaches its arm and continues standing at attention.

The Headmaster is disturbed.

"Baines, step apart from this company and come inside with me." Baines shakes his head.

"No, sir. You, sir, you will send us Mister John Smith. That's all we want, sir, Mister John Smith and whatever he's done with his Time Lord consciousness. Then we'd be very happy to leave you alone." Baines orders.

The Headmaster is suspicious.

"You speak with someone else's voice, Baines. Who might that be?"

"We are the Family of Blood." Baines replied.

"Mister Smith said there had been deaths."

"Yes, sir." Baines nods, happily. "And they were good, sir." The Headmaster looks repulsed.

"Well, I warn you, the school is armed." Buffy winced. _Don't tell 'em that …_ Baines looks smug.

"All your little tin soldiers. But tell me, sir, will they thank you?"

"I don't understand." The Headmaster responded.

"What do you know of history, sir? What do you know of next year?" Baines asked, curiously.

"You're not making sense, Baines."

"1914, sir." Baines continued as though the Headmaster had not even spoken. "Because the Family has travelled far and wide looking for Mister Smith and, oh, the things we have seen." Buffy glances over at John and sees his shell-shocked face. Buffy remembered that John had written something about next year inside his journal; and she realised that he was only just remembering that he had done so. "War is coming. In foreign fields, war of the whole wide world, with all your boys falling down in the mud. Do you think they will thank the man who taught them it was glorious?" Baines taunted the older man.

The Headmaster was shaking with fury.

"Don't you forget, boy, I've been a soldier. I was in South Africa. I used my dead mates for sandbags. I fought with the butt of my rifle when the bullets ran out, and I would go back there tomorrow for King and Country!" He crowed.

Baines raised his gun.

"Et cetera, et cetera." Baines vaporises Philips.

"NO!" Buffy screams. John restrains her from running out. The bloodthirsty attack left everybody stunned, except for those who had already seen it before.

The Headmaster trembled in fear.

"Run along, Headmaster. Run back to school. And send us Mister Smith!" The Headmaster rushes back inside the school. Buffy had her hands clenched into fists, and was squeezing them so hard her nails were digging into her palms, causing them to bleed.

She barely noticed the pain.

"That's it! No more!" She whispered, but John stopped her. Buffy struggled in his surprisingly strong grip. "Let go of me!" The headmaster approaches them, a grave expression on his face.

"Mister Philips has been murdered, Mister Smith. Can you tell me why?" John was out of his depth.

"Honestly, sir, I have no idea. And the telephone line's been disconnected. We are on our own." He declared, soberly. That was the very last thing the Headmaster wanted to hear.

"If we have to make a fight of it, then make a fight we shall." He turns to Hutchinson. "Hutchinson, we'll build a barricade within the courtyards. Fortify the entrances, build our defences. Gentlemen, in the name of the King, we shall stand against them." The Headmaster declared.

"Yes, sir!" The boys shouted, before getting to work. "Right, come on. Let's get moving." Buffy watched all this with a heavy heart. These boys didn't look much older than she did. She breaks off from John and goes in search of Martha. They both needed a plan, and fast!

A wooden beam is put across the main doors.

"Hurry, get back." Another boy orders. Hutchinson marches down the corridors, giving out the Headmaster's orders.

"Barricade the kitchens. Secure the passageway to the stables." He sees Latimer, still in his hiding place and clutching the fob watch. His lip curls with disgust. "You coward. You'll do your duty, Latimer, with the rest of us." He stated.

Lucy watches the commotion from a window.

* * *

The Family watches with interest from the front of the school. Their excitement for the hunt is mounting.

"They've got an army. So do we. Soldiers! Soldiers!" Baines rallies the troops together.

* * *

In the courtyard, John and the Headmaster are overseeing the preparations.

"Ashington, we need water for the Vickers gun. See to it. Faster. All of you, faster!" He orders.

"Lockley, when firing commences, you're in charge of the gallery." John instructs.

"Peterson, that is not acceptable. Report to your senior officer." The Headmaster yells out.

* * *

All the scarecrows have assembled.

"War comes to England a year in advance." Baines stated, quietly. But then suddenly, he freezes. Lucy's voice is inside his head.

"Family of Mine, wait. Hold the soldiers back. The Time Lord is playing some sort of trick." She states, with annoyed fascination.

"Discover him, Sister of Mine." Baines instructs his sister.

* * *

Buffy finds Martha searching around John's study for the missing Fob watch, but before she could enter and help; she realises Joan is in there with her, demanding some answers about the madness happening all around them. So she pauses there, eavesdropping on their conversation.

"I know it sounds mad, but when the Doctor became human, he took the alien part of himself and he stored it inside the watch. It's not really a watch, it just looks like a watch." Martha explained, distractedly.

"And alien means not from abroad, I take it." Joan guesses.

Martha doesn't bother to hide the snort.

"The man you call John Smith, he was born on another world."

"A different species."

"Yeah." Joan gave a stressed out sigh.

"Then tell me. In this fairy tale, who are you? And more to the point, who is Elizabeth, because I've never seen any respectable young woman behave like she did back at the village hall." Joan demanded.

Buffy held her breath.

"Elizabeth's real name is Buffy. She and I are the Doctor's friends … well, okay, after the results of this night, Buffy is obviously more than friends with the Doctor. But I'm just his friend." Martha replied, sounding rather bitter. Buffy winced, she had a feeling that Martha had had more than just friendship on her mind when it came to the Doctor. She was just sorry that she was apparently in Martha's way of her happiness.

"And human, I take it?" Joan questioned, going along with Martha's explanation.

"Yes, both of us are human. But it's up to Buffy to share the rest of herself to you, that's not my place." Martha stated. "But I don't just follow him around. I'm training to be a doctor. Not an alien doctor, a proper doctor. A doctor of medicine." Joan scoffed disbelievingly.

"Well, that certainly is nonsense. Women might train to be doctors, but hardly a skivvy and hardly one of your colour." There was silence for several seconds. Buffy assumed it was because Martha was preparing to give Joan a piece of her mind.

"Oh, do you think?" Martha retorted coldly. She sighed and lifted up her hand, showing it to a surprised Joan. "Bones of the hand. Carpal bones, proximal row. Scaphoid, lunate, triquetral, pisiform. Distal row. Trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, hamate. Then the metacarpal bones extending in three distinct phalanges. Proximal, middle, distal." Buffy was impressed.

"You read that in a book." Joan stated, quietly and sounding stunned.

"Yes, to pass my exams." Martha agreed, sounding incredulous. "Can't you see this is true?" Now it was Joan's turn to be silent.

"I must go."

"If we find that watch, then we can stop them." Martha stated, not unkindly. Both she and Buffy knew that what Martha had just revealed to her was a lot of information about a future Joan was probably not likely to see.

Joan gave a watery sigh.

"Those boys are going to fight. I might not be a doctor, but I'm still their nurse. They need me." Joan stated, upset.

Buffy quickly fled before Joan could catch her.

* * *

"Son of Mine, Wife of Mine." Clark was triumphant. He had found something in this old dilapidated barn that would definitely put the Family at an advantage.

"Father of Mine, what have you found?" Baines responded almost immediately, curious about the glee he could hear in Clark's voice.

"His TARDIS." Clark and a couple of their scarecrow soldiers stood vigilantly in front of the TARDIS's double doors. "The Doctor can't escape."

* * *

 **A/N: Part three is done, and surprisingly, I need to do a part four. Please stayed tuned, and as always please review respectfully with your thoughts. Cheers guys! :D**


	13. Battle For Freedom

**Part Four. This takes place during the latter part of 'The Family of Blood'. Enjoy xx**

 **I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson.** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ **© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions. Cheers xx**

* * *

 **BATTLE FOR FREEDOM**

" _You'd rather die this evening.  
You would never know.  
Up ahead and far below."  
_ _ **~Four Star Mary: 'Fate' (Four Star Mary [2000])**_

* * *

Buffy raced down various corridors, searching for any weapons she might be able to use against the army of scarecrows and against the bloodthirsty 'Family of Blood'. There was very few weapons that she could find, and she was getting frustrated. As a Slayer, she always came prepared for whatever battle to the death she was facing. But it looked like she was going to have to do what the Doctor said she and Martha had to do when they first started hiding: improvise. Buffy turned another corridor, and came upon groups of boys preparing for battle.

She weaved her way through the group, dodging and elbowing her way through, when she suddenly noticed John talking urgently to a visibly upset Joan. He appeared to be giving her, her instructions for the upcoming battle. Buffy immediately turned and walked in the opposite direction, not wanting to be in the way. She and Martha would seek him out when they found the fob watch; but for the moment, she decided to leave him be.

"Elizabeth?" Buffy froze mid-step. _Shit…_ She heard his running footsteps come closer to her and she turned to face him. John looked extremely worried, he grabbed a hold of her arm and led her off to the side, away from the boys and any prying eyes. "Buffy, it's not safe." He stated.

Buffy resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"I know. I'm doing my duty, just as much as you." She replied, quietly. John looked confused.

"Your duty?" Buffy hesitated.

"There are some things that I've kept secret from you, John." Buffy admitted, reluctantly. John looked surprised.

"What secrets?"

"I'm the Slayer. I protect the innocent from creatures like 'the Family'." She replied.

"Why would you need to keep a secret like that from me?"

"Fear." Buffy answered.

John looked pensive. "Not me, surely."

Buffy looked down at her feet, feeling vulnerable.

"Not you personally, just your reaction. I was scared that if you found out my secret that you would see me differently, that you wouldn't want to be with me anymore. Or want to know me." Buffy replied, quietly.

John immediately looked hurt.

"Why wouldn't I want to be with you? Why wouldn't I want to know you?" He demanded, taking her gently by the shoulders and turning her to face him. "You are a kind, beautiful, funny girl." Buffy couldn't help but beam at his words. "From what you told me about your secret, it sounds like you help people, not harm them." He cupped her cheek. "Do you doubt my feelings for you as well?" Tears formed in Buffy's eyes. "When I kissed you, was that a lie?" He demanded, sounding a little hurt.

"No, it wasn't." Buffy agreed, her tears breaking free and falling down her cheeks. John wipes them away, before realising how much time was getting away.

"I've got to go." John turns to attend to his duties as a teacher. But Buffy leaves him with something to think about.

"But when the truth comes out. Will you regret it in the long run?" Buffy asked him, mysteriously. He froze, then looked at Buffy with dismay.

"Mister Smith, if you please!" calls the Headmaster. John hesitated for a moment, before he quickly strides back towards Buffy and once again grabs her by the shoulders; pulling her close. Buffy gives him an incredulous look.

"I'll come to that conclusion when it arrives." John compromised before he leans in and kisses the stunned Slayer.

* * *

The set up in the courtyard is underway with Hutchinson leading traffic.

"Get those bags piled up, filth. It's going to mean the difference between life and death for us." Latimer disagreed.

"Not for you and me."

"What are you babbling about?" Hutchinson scowled. Latimer turned to face Hutchinson, full of confidence; triumphant.

"We're going to battle together." Latimer confirmed. "We fight alongside. I've seen it. Not here, not now." Hutchinson looked wary.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you and I both survive this." He turns the watch around and around in his hands, absently. "And maybe, maybe I was given this watch so I could help." He clenches the watch in his fist and retreats. "I'm sorry." Latimer continues running.

Hutchinson is disgusted.

"Latimer, you filthy coward!"

"Oh yes, sir. Every time." Latimer mock salutes him and keeps running.

* * *

After the unexpected embrace with John, Buffy goes off in search for Martha and the Doctor's Fob Watch. This whole debacle had to end now! However, her accurate 'spidey sense' began warning her, and she followed it to where she saw Latimer sitting, no hiding, and seemingly talking to himself.

"What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?" He repeated to himself. Buffy frowned. Did Latimer finally snap underneath the pressure? She started for him, to offer him comfort and reassurance.

"Beware of what?" Latimer suddenly spoke up, and Buffy froze. Latimer then suddenly looked up and right into her eyes.

He immediately started to panic.

"Hey, guy. Easy, I'm not going to hurt you." Buffy promised, raising her hands to reveal that she had nothing in them. Then Latimer's eyes darted behind Buffy and he scowled.

"Keep away." Buffy frowned in confusion.

"Sorry, I don't understand."

"Who are you?" A familiar voice demanded, tonelessly.

Buffy's blood ran cold. She turned to look behind her and saw Lucy standing there, blankly looking at Latimer and ignoring her. Buffy stood straight up and shielded Latimer.

"You're making a big mistake." Buffy warned Lucy. Again she was ignored.

"Who are you?" Lucy repeated to Latimer. Buffy scowled.

"You know it's rude to ignore people, honey." She started walking towards her, but Latimer got up and reached out for Buffy's wrist.

Buffy turns to look at him.

"It's alright. I got this." Latimer reassured the Slayer, who nodded reluctantly and stepped aside. "I saw you at the dance. You were with that family. You're one of them." Lucy ignored his statement.

"What are you hiding?" Buffy frowned when Latimer puts his hands behind his back. She could see something clenched tightly in his hand.

"Nothing."

"What have you got there?" Lucy insisted.

"Nothing." Latimer insisted, but Lucy and Buffy didn't believe him.

"Show me, little boy." Lucy ordered. Buffy could tell that Latimer had a hidden ace up his sleeve, and judging by the defiant expression on his face; the boy was about to play it.

"I reckon whatever you are, you're still in the shape of a girl. How strong is she, do you think?" Latimer questioned Lucy. "Does she really want to see this?" Latimer produced the fob watch and aims it at Lucy. The same golden energy from the village hall shows her an explosion, and the Doctor.

She runs away.

Buffy advances on the schoolboy, and grabs his hand.

"The fob watch!" She glares at him. "You've had this all along?!" Latimer looks afraid. "Do you know what stress you've put Martha under?" Buffy demanded. Latimer's fearful face, turns defiant once again.

"It told me to take it." He explained. Buffy looked at him blankly.

"Huh? What told you to take it?"

"The watch. It told me to take it." Latimer explained. _Okay? I've heard weirder things…_ Buffy thought. Buffy and Latimer had no idea how much danger they were now in.

* * *

Outside the school, Baines and Jenny were immediately alerted to the Time Lord consciousness.

"Time Lord!" Baines exclaimed.

"Inside the device." Jenny added.

"Everything he is concealed away in the hands of a schoolboy. But now we know, that's all we need to find. The boy and the watch." Baines decided to act now. "What are we waiting for?" He turns to the army of scarecrows. "Attack!" They begin to converge. The group in the courtyard, were extremely alert.

"Stand to!" Came the order. The scarecrows hammer at the main gate. "At post!" Everyone takes aim, including John who raises a shotgun.

"Enemy approaching, sir." One of the schoolboys reports.

"Steady. Find the biting point." The scarecrows break in. "Fire!" The boys open fire and take down scarecrows as they advance. John hesitates, however.

Soon all the scarecrows are down.

"Cease fire!" The Headmaster walks over to the scarecrows to inspect them. "They're straw. Like he said, straw." He was puzzled.

Hutchinson was confused.

"Then no one's dead, sir? We killed no one?" Somebody approaches, alerting everybody.

"Stand to!" The Headmaster calls. They waited with baited breath, until Lucy walks up carrying her red balloon. The Headmaster walks towards her. "You, child. Come out of the way. Come into the school. You don't know who's out there." Lucy stares at him, blankly. He smiles, politely. "It's the Cartwright girl, isn't it? Come here. Come to me." Martha sees Lucy and immediately reacts.

"Mister Rocastle! Please, don't go near her!" Martha pleads, as he turns to glare at her for interfering again.

"You were told to be quiet!" Rocastle snaps.

Martha tries again.

"Just listen to me! She's part of it." Martha turns to Joan for assistance. "Matron, tell him." Joan hesitates.

"I think that. I don't know. I think you should stay back, Headmaster." Joan agrees.

Martha turns to John, pleadingly.

"She was, she was with, with Baines in the village." John wasn't about to disagree, now that Buffy and Martha had revealed to him the existence of such creatures. However, Rocastle was apparently that arrogant not to heed advice.

"Mister Smith, I've seen many strange sights this night, but there is no cause on God's Earth that would allow me to see this child in the field of battle, sir." He turns back to Lucy. "Come with me."

Lucy giggles.

"You're funny." Rocastle is taken aback.

"That's right. Now take my hand." Lucy smirks.

"So funny." She produces a ray gun and vaporises the Headmaster. Then she turns to the rest of them. "Now who's going to shoot me? Any of you, really?" John's eyes widen.

"Put down your guns." He orders. Hutchinson looks afraid.

"But sir, the Headmaster."

"I'll not see this happen. Not anymore. You will retreat in an orderly fashion back through the school. Hutchinson, lead the way." The schoolboy objects.

"But sir." John turns on him.

"I said, lead the way!" He repeated, authoritatively.

Baines taunts them, mercilessly.

"Well, go on, then. Run!"

"Come on!" Martha hurries them, just as Baines addressed his fallen soldiers. If they all thought that it was over, they had another thing coming.

"Reanimate!" Baines ordered.

* * *

The boys scattered through the buildings, followed by the reanimated scarecrows. Latimer runs upstairs, followed closely by Buffy; who kept Latimer within her sights. Now that she had found that damn fob watch, she'd be damned if she was going to lose it again!

John took charge of the schoolboys.

"Let's go. Quick as you can!" John ordered. Martha added her two cents.

"Don't go to the village. It's not safe!" John turned to Martha and Joan.

"And you, ladies."

"Not till we've got the boys out!" Joan responded, stubbornly.

* * *

But not all the boys are lucky to escape the Family's grasp. The scarecrows rounded up the boys.

"One of these boys has got the watch." Jenny stated, she grabs one of them by the scruff of the neck and thrusts him at Lucy. "This one?"

"No."

"This one?" Baines manhandles another boy.

"No."

"This one?" Jenny is getting impatient. But they have little to go off of.

"No." Hutchinson struggles in Baines's grasp.

"Get off me. I said get off me!" Baines recognises Hutchinson from the body's remaining memories as a schoolboy.

"Ah! This one, is that him?" He asks. Lucy gives him a sniff.

"No." Baines drops Hutchinson in a heap. Both he and Jenny are getting restless.

"Right. Then we can kill this lot." Just then, in the dormitory; Latimer opens the watch letting out the Time Lord consciousness for a split second, while Buffy watches curiously. It immediately grabs the Family's attention.

"Lord of Time." The watch whispers.

Baines grins in triumph.

"That's it!"

"Upstairs!" Jenny orders.

She, Baines and Lucy immediately race for the dormitory that Buffy and Latimer quickly escape from; attempting to keep the Family on their toes, and to give the other schoolboys enough time to evacuate the school safely. Hutchinson takes the hint. And at the same time, John finally loses his patience with both Joan and Martha.

"Now, I really insist. The pair of you, just go. If there are any more boys inside, I'll find them." He opens the door, revealing a group of scarecrows on the other side. He immediately slams it shut and locks it. "I think, retreat." He suggests and both Martha and Joan have no objections.

* * *

Latimer and Buffy run for the woods when Baines and Jenny get to the dormitory. Clark stands outside the building, shouting, as John, Joan and Martha hide in the bushes.

"Doctor! Doctor!" Clark hollers boisterously. He has the TARDIS in his possession. "Come back, Doctor! Come home. Come and claim your prize." He calls. Baines walks over to stand next to Clark, joining in on their attempts to coax out their prize.

"Out you come, Doctor. There's a good boy. Come to the Family."

"Time to end it now." Jenny states.

John is staring at the TARDIS looking completely spooked. It looked exactly like he had sketched it in his journal – still currently in Buffy's possession – and was very alarmed seeing it in person. Martha gazed at him with sympathy.

"You recognise it, don't you?" She whispered.

"Come out, Doctor. Come to us!" Jenny is persistent. John refuses to acknowledge that he definitely recognised the TARDIS.

"I've never seen it in my life." He lied, stubbornly.

Martha refused to give up.

"Do you remember its name?" She pressed, gently.

John started to tear up in his fear. He didn't want it to be real. He was happy. He had had a fantastic life and now he had finally found love; he now had Buffy. But then a thought occurred to him: did he really have the Slayer? If he refused to become this so-called Doctor, would she stay with him? Or would she want to go back home to her mother and her life in America? It was a thought he didn't want to come true.

"I'm not. I'm John Smith. That's all I want to be. John Smith, with his life, and his job, and his love." Martha frowned with concern. Speaking of … where was Buffy? "Why can't I be John Smith? Isn't he a good man?" His voice was starting to get shaky and Joan's heart went out to her obviously frightened friend.

"Yes. Yes, he is." She soothed him. Martha felt horrible. But she needed to bring back the Doctor, at all costs.

"Why can't I stay?" John questioned tearfully.

"But we need the Doctor." Martha stated the cold hard facts. John glared at her.

"What am I, then? Nothing. I'm just a story." He runs off, forcing Martha and Joan to follow him worriedly. Martha couldn't help but plead. _Where are you, Buffy? The Doctor needs you!_ Over near the TARDIS, the Family were settling their plans.

"One more phase and we won't have to hunt. The Doctor, Mister Smith, the boy, the watch, they will come to us." Baines turned to the scarecrows. "Soldiers, guard this thing."

* * *

Joan decides to take charge and leads both John and Martha along a country lane. None of the scarecrows, or the Family know where they were at that point. But that could change in a heartbeat. Buffy was, as far as they were concerned, missing in action; and both John and Martha were fearing the worst.

"This way. I think I know where we can hide." Joan said, pointing down a nearby country lane.

But John shook his head, determined to move on.

"We've got to keep going." Joan stepped into his path, a stern expression on her face.

"Just listen to me for once, John. Now, follow me." Joan insisted. They followed her to what looked like an abandoned cottage. "Here we are. It should be empty." Joan struggled to take in a breath. They had run quite a ways away from the school. "Oh, it's a long time since I've run that far." She stated.

Martha was confused.

"But who lives here?" She asked. Joan looked sad.

"If I'm right, no one." She lets herself in, and is followed reluctantly by John and Martha. It is dark inside the cottage, and what looks like an afternoon tea is laid out on the table. "Hello?" Silence. "No one home. We should be safe here." Joan confirmed. Martha glanced about, feeling awkward about squatting in somebody's home, abandoned or otherwise.

"Whose house is it, though?" Joan looked uncomfortable.

"Er, the Cartwrights. That little girl we saw at the school, she's Lucy Cartwright, or she's assumed her form. If she came home this afternoon and if the parents tried to stop their little girl, then they were vanished." Joan touches the teapot on the table. "Stone cold." She scoffs. "How easily, I accept these ideas."

John was restless.

"I must go to them, before anybody else dies." _And I got to find Buffy…_ He thought. Joan stopped him.

"You can't." John looks irritated. "Martha, there must be something we can do." Martha was helpless, and she felt like a broken record.

"Not without the watch." John snapped.

"You're this _Doctor's_ companion. Can't you help? What exactly do you do for him? Why does he need you?" He lashes out at her harshly.

Martha flinches.

"Because he's lonely." Martha replied. John freezes, a feeling of deja-vu overwhelming him. Buffy had said the same thing to him about her friend who hated violence, guns and mayhem; and always resorted to peace over bloodshed.

 _"From the look in his eyes, how he takes death, violence and other types of mayhem personally; or feels responsible if he can't prevent something bad from happening." She stopped and looked him right in the eyes she had just described. "That, and I suspect he's lonely."_

Buffy's friend … was him? His anger grew.

"And that's what you want me to become?" His voice broke in his shock and grief. There was a knock at the door. Everyone glanced at it with caution, and nobody moved to answer.

"What if it's them?" Joan fretted. Martha shook her head.

"I'm not an expert, but I don't think scarecrows knock." Martha gets to her feet and moves slowly for the door. She opens it, and gasps with relief. "Buffy!" John immediately gets to his feet and charges at a surprisingly cold looking Buffy, wrapping her up in a tight embrace. When she doesn't respond, he releases her and takes a step away, looking at her.

By the expression on her face, it was clear to everybody that she had overheard John yelling at Martha. Buffy pushes past and goes deeper into the cottage, Latimer following; looking awkward because of the obvious tension. John follows cautiously, closing the door behind him. He stops and looks at the pair and Buffy looks back at him, straight-faced.

"Don't you dare." Buffy whispered with restrained anger. "Don't you dare, lay the blame at anybody else's feet but your own." John looked at her with shock.

"What do you mean?" He replied.

"Martha and I were following _your_ instructions. Fulfilling our end of the bargain." Buffy stated.

John was confused.

"What do you mean _my_ instructions?"

"Your instructions as the Doctor. A Time Lord." Buffy pulls the journal from her pocket. "The author of this journal. _Your_ journal." John's eyes zero in on the journal. "And whose essence is contained in that fob watch." Latimer holds out his hand. The Fob watch is lying innocently in the centre of his palm.

All eyes zero in on the watch, except for Buffy who is still staring at John with tears in her eyes. Martha is the first person to react.

"Where did you find it?" She asks Latimer, relieved. The boy doesn't reply at first. Buffy gently nudged him.

"Tell them, Latimer. It's okay." She coaxed him gently. Latimer took in a deep breath before replying.

"I took it from Mister Smith's study the day he called me in to talk about my grades."

"But why would you do that?" Martha questioned. Buffy intervened.

"That doesn't matter now." Latimer held out the watch to John who backed away from the boy.

"Hold it." Martha instructed him. John shakes his head.

"I won't."

"Please, just hold it." Martha pleaded.

"It told me to find you. It wants to be held." Latimer insisted, backing up Martha. Joan scowled at Latimer sternly.

"You've had this watch all this time, why didn't you return it?" She asked, sternly.

Latimer couldn't explain it.

"Because it was waiting. And because I was so scared of the Doctor." He admitted. Joan was immediately concerned.

"Why?"

"Because I've seen him." Latimer responded quietly. "He's like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night and the storm in the heart of the sun." John couldn't listen to this.

"Stop it."

"He's ancient and forever. He burns at the centre of time and he can see the turn of the universe." Latimer described him.

"Stop it! I said stop it." John insisted.

"And he's wonderful." Latimer smiled, encouragingly.

This didn't make John feel any better. Buffy breaks the silence. While she knew that John was hurting and scared, and she didn't want to cause anymore turmoil for him; she realised that they were still in a serious crisis that only they could fix. She was still the Slayer, and the world needed the Doctor back. She just hoped he didn't hate her when it was over.

But it was a risk that she needed to take.

"This ends now." Buffy stated, opening the journal. "Maybe there's something in here that might help." But before she could check, there was a big bang that caused the cottage to shake violently.

"What the hell?" Martha exclaimed, as Buffy put the journal down on the table and dashes for the door; everyone else following her. Fireballs are falling to the earth a little way away.

"They're destroying the village!" Joan exclaimed fearfully. A determined look passed over John's face.

"The watch." He dashes back into the cottage. Joan, Latimer and Martha follow, and Buffy trails in the rear.

"John, don't." Joan pleads. John picked up the watch, and almost immediately hears a voice talking to him telepathically.

"Closer…" Latimer approached him.

"Can you hear it?" He asked.

"Closer…" The voice entices John. He hesitates.

"I think he's asleep. Waiting to awaken." He says reluctantly.

"Little man…" The voice murmurs. Latimer is confused about one thing.

"Why did he speak to me?" John immediately starts to talk in a bright and cheerful voice, going a million miles an hour.

"Oh, low level telepathic field. You were born with it. Just an extra synaptic engram causing—" John cuts himself off, horrified. Buffy turns away, struggling and hating herself. "Is that how he talks?" John asks. Martha nods solemnly.

"That's him. All you have to do is open it and he's back." Martha instructed him.

"You both knew this all along." John states, staring at both Buffy and Martha accusingly. Martha tries desperately to make him understand.

"He gave us a list of things to watch out for."

Buffy walks over to where she had left the journal and picks up, following through when her own suggestion of checking the journal for answers. It occurred to her that she had never officially finished reading the entire book, so she flips to the last entry and starts to read. Her heart breaks even further when she realises what the costs of not bringing back the Doctor would be; and she was sure that revealing the truth could quite possibly be the final nail in the coffin for her blossoming romance with the Doctor.

But she couldn't be selfish, she needed to do what was right. John looks over at a crying Buffy, and his anger towards her disappears; he can see that bringing back the Doctor was the last thing Buffy wanted to do as well, and he continued to curse the Doctor for forcing his companions to do the impossible.

"What about falling in love? That didn't even occur to him?" Martha hesitated, but Buffy filled the question herself.

"He was already in love with me, as vain as that sounds. But I think he was resisting." Buffy whispered. "You were just the push he needed to follow his hearts, I suspect." Buffy sat down at the table, clutching the journal to her chest.

John looked appalled.

"Then what sort of man is that?" He demanded, angrily. "And now you expect me to die?"

"No!" Buffy yelled, anguished; getting to her feet and facing him. " _I_ don't want you to die!" She confessed to a shocked John. "If it were up to me, John, I would do anything to prevent you becoming the Doctor again, because I saw that you were happy, you were free! And I love you so much that I didn't want to put you through that."

"So why then?" John demanded, coming over to Buffy's side, trying to comfort her.

"Because it was always going to end! The Doctor told us the Family's got a limited lifespan, and that's why they need to consume a Time Lord. Otherwise, three months and they die. Like mayflies, he said." Martha explained.

"So your job was to execute me." John stated, bitterly. Martha was on the brink of tears herself.

"People are dying out there. They need him, I need him and believe it or not John, _Buffy_ needs him. Because you _are_ him! Because you've got no idea of what he's like. We've only just met him, it wasn't that long ago. But he is everything! He is everything to me and he doesn't even look at me, but I don't care, because even I love him to bits. And I hope to God he won't remember me saying this." Martha confessed.

An explosion is heard close by.

"It's getting closer." Latimer reminds them. John glances at the fob watch on the table and snatches it up.

"I should've thought of it before." He said, determinedly. Buffy, Martha, Joan and Latimer eye him warily. "I can give them this. Just the watch. Then they can leave and I can stay as I am." Buffy's tears fall faster and she looks down at her lap.

"You can't do that!" Martha protested. But John was a man desperate to survive, and he looked at Buffy with hope in his eyes.

"If they want the Doctor, they can have him." Martha's face paled.

"He'll never let you do it." Buffy had to admire John for his persistence, but it was time to reveal the price.

"If they get what they want, then, then—"

"Then it all ends in destruction." Buffy stated, quietly, still clutching the journal to herself. Everybody looked at Buffy with dread. "While you were arguing with Martha, I read the final entry. It said that the Family would live forever to breed and conquer, for war across the stars for every child." Buffy glanced up and saw the defeated expression on John's face. He immediately sank down into another chair at the table, and put his head in his hands.

He was sobbing.

Buffy frowned.

They couldn't do this to him, she knew that now. She stood up, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Buffy? What are you doing?" Martha asked, worriedly. She didn't like the expression on Buffy's face.

"What I probably should've done in the first place." _I am the Slayer after all…_ Buffy thought, grimly. She stood up from the table, and crouched in front of John. "I just wanted you to know this, John: John or Doctor, you already had me. You already own my heart and my soul. Everything I have has always been yours." She whispered. "I just wanted you to know that." Buffy stood up and leaned over to kiss the top of John's head tenderly. "Goodbye." Immediately, John froze at those words. Buffy strode determinedly to the front door. "Don't wait up for me, Martha." Martha paled in horror.

"Buffy, don't…" But she was already gone. Martha turned and glared accusingly at John.

"You can't just sit there and do nothing!" She growled. John looked up in confusion. "Don't you understand? She's going to take on the Family, so you don't have to!" Latimer's eyes widened and Joan gasped.

"What? No! She can't do that!" John protested wildly.

Martha's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Then make a choice, or you and the Doctor will probably lose her forever!"

* * *

The Family were growing restless, but were also enjoying the destruction they were creating over Farringham.

"We'll blast them into dust, then fuse the dust into glass, then shatter them all over again." Baines declared. The spaceship door opens to admit…

"Knock, knock?" It was Buffy, she strode in and glanced about the interior of the spaceship with interest. "Wow, this is really nice. No really, I'm impressed. I could totally call this home." Buffy observed.

"Where is Mister Smith?" Baines asked, curiously.

"Oh, he's not coming." Buffy replied casually, still examining the ship.

"Not coming?"

"Yes, sorry about that. Guess you're just going to have to settle for lil' old me." Buffy said, brightly. Leaning against what looked like a very old-fashioned version of the TARDIS console.

"Unacceptable. Isn't it Mother of Mine?" Baines stated with a frown. Buffy pretended to pout.

"Aw, that really hurt my feelings." Buffy feigned hurt. "So, shall we get this party on the road, or what?" Buffy asked, getting into a defensive stance.

"Well, if you're so eager to die. I guess we can oblige just this once." Buffy steeled herself bravely as she prepared to fight when the spaceship doors unexpectedly opened once again, to admit…

"Just…" It was John. Buffy's mouth fell open in shock. A boom rocks the ship, and John lurches against a column of switches. The boom caused Buffy to fall against John when he straightened up again. She frowned. "Just stop the bombardment. That's all I'm asking." John pleaded. "I'll do anything you want, just, just stop." Buffy straightened up, and noticed that John hadn't removed his hands from her waist.

"John, what do you think you're doing?!" Buffy demanded, angrily.

John looked at her with genuine love in his eyes.

"I couldn't let you take the fall for me." He explained. Baines interrupted them.

"Say please."

"Please." John replies confidently. Jenny activates a control. But nothing happens.

"Wait a minute." Jenny frowns, and gives a sniff. "Still human." Buffy mutters underneath her breath.

"You are a moron!" John ignores her.

"Now, I can't, I can't pretend to understand, not for a second, but I want you to know I'm innocent in all this. And so is Buffy and Martha." He stated. Buffy's angry expression softens slightly. "He made me John Smith. It's not like I had any control over it." John runs his hands over more switches, creating suspicion in Buffy. John wasn't normally this clumsy.

Jenny frowns in disgust.

"He didn't just make himself human. He made himself an idiot." She observed.

"Same thing isn't it?" Baines pointed out.

"Hey!?" Buffy protested.

John turned to her and shushed her, gently reassuring her that everything was going to be alright. He pulls the Doctor's fob watch out of his pocket.

"I don't care about this Doctor and your family. I just want to save Buffy, and I want you to go. So I've made my choice. You can have him. Just take it, please! Take him away." He holds out the watch, as Buffy's face falls in despair.

"At last." Baines eagerly takes the watch in one hand, and John's lapels by the other. "Don't think that saved your life." He pushes John away, causing him to activate more switches as he fell, and Jenny grabs Buffy and shoves her at him. She crumples into his arms, and John holds her close. "Family of Mine, now we shall have the lives of a Time Lord." Baines opens the watch and they all sniff deeply. "It's empty!" Baines snarls.

John and Buffy exchange confused looks.

"Where's it gone?" John asks curiously.

"You tell me." Baines throws the watch at him, and John catches it without looking. Buffy's eyes widen in shock.

"Oh, I think the explanation might be you've been fooled by a simple olfactory misdirection. Little bit like ventriloquism of the nose." It wasn't John standing protectively in front of Buffy, who had risen to her feet in shock. It was a fully restored Doctor. Buffy couldn't decide if she wanted to slap the Doctor silly for scaring the shit out of her, or grab him into an embrace and kiss the living daylights out of him. The Doctor puts on his glasses. "It's an elementary trick in certain parts of the galaxy. But it has got to be said, I don't like the looks of that hydroconometer." The Doctor rattles off, in his usual million miles an hour, and takes off his glasses again, putting them back into his pocket.

"It seems to be indicating you've got energy feedback all the way through the retrostabilisers feeding back into the primary heat converters." Buffy looked at him strangely. This was one thing about her Time Lord that she did not miss: all the complicated explanations. "Because if there's one thing you shouldn't have done, you shouldn't have let me press all those buttons." He grinned at them all, causing the Family to pale in fear. The Doctor saunters over to Buffy and takes the stunned Slayer's hand in his, leading her to the door as he spoke. "But, in fairness, I will give you one word of advice: Run!" The Doctor and Buffy immediately start running for their lives as the ship's alarms start to sound.

"Get out! Get out!" Baines screams.

The Doctor, Buffy and the Family run. Then the Family's spaceship explodes, raining down shrapnel over their heads. The Doctor approaches them, glaring down at them with his dark, unforgiving eyes. Buffy stood nearby, uncertain about how her future with the Doctor would fare.

* * *

Buffy spent the early morning with Martha, helping out wherever she could with the clean-up at the Farringham School. The Doctor stayed behind to take care of the Family, and presumably to say goodbye to Joan; after all she had been their friend for the last two months. Martha headed back to the TARDIS to wait for the Doctor, but Buffy dawdled.

"Buffy!" She turned and saw Latimer jogging up to her, and raising his eyebrow at what Buffy was now wearing. The Slayer had traded in her maid's uniform for her dark, denim jeans, her white, indigo and black sweatshirt, light blue denim jacket and black high heel boots. Her blonde hair had been tied back in a ponytail and around her neck was her silver cross that Angel had given her when she first arrived in Sunnydale.

Buffy grinned and rushed up to hug the boy, who had helped save the world.

"Hey Tim! Where you heading?" Latimer smiled.

"I heard you were leaving today, I was coming to see you all off." Buffy draped her arm around his shoulders and escorted him to where the Doctor had parked the TARDIS. It was at the exact same place where the scarecrow John had mended during his walk with Buffy the day before. By the time they got there, it was pouring rain and both Martha and the Doctor were in the middle of a conversation. There was a resigned sadness in Martha's eyes as she and the Doctor hugged. Buffy gave a bittersweet smile.

"Doctor. Martha."

Both of them turned and looked directly at them. Buffy's heart skipped a beat when the Doctor's eyes immediately locked onto hers; and she was relieved to see the same genuine, unconditional love she had seen in his eyes from when they were on the Family's spaceship. He smiled tenderly at her, and she returned it. Then the Doctor focused upon Latimer.

"Tim Timothy Timber!" He greeted the boy enthusiastically.

"I just wanted to say goodbye. And thank you. Because I've seen the future and I now know what must be done." The Doctor's face became solemn. "It's coming, isn't it? The biggest war ever."

"You don't have to fight." Martha reminded him.

Latimer shook his head.

"I think we do."

"But you could get hurt." Buffy pointed out, as she walked over to stand at the Doctor's other side. The Time Lord automatically wrapped an arm around Buffy's shoulders, and she relaxed into him, relieved.

"Well, so could you travelling around with him. But that's not going to stop you." Latimer retorted, not unkindly.

Both Buffy and Martha conceded.

"Tim, I'd be honoured if you'd take this." The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out the fob watch, tossing to Latimer. He catches it and puts it to his ear.

"I can't hear anything."

"No, it's just a watch now." The Doctor replied. "But keep it with you, for good luck." He tells him.

Martha bounces forward.

"Look after yourself." She hugs and kisses Latimer before going into the TARDIS. Buffy follows Martha's example, and waves before disappearing inside.

"You'll like this bit." The Doctor promises Latimer, as he goes in and the TARDIS dematerialises. Latimer watches with genuine shock and awe before he chuckles and turns, walking back down the hill and back into the village.

* * *

Martha excused herself and disappeared downstairs to the lower levels of the TARDIS, giving the Doctor and Buffy privacy to review the newest development in their relationship. Buffy shuffled her feet awkwardly, as the Doctor watched her from where he was leaning casually against the console, looking very amused.

"So, you remember everything, huh?" Buffy stated. The Doctor smiled.

"Yep."

"Well, that's good news at least." Buffy smiled. "I have to admit, I was a little worried." The Slayer walked slowly around the console, taking her time as she moved closer to the Doctor who made no attempt to move away from her.

"I also remember what you told me before you left to face the Family by yourself." He stated, whilst looking at her sternly for deliberately putting herself in danger. But Buffy remained unrepentant. He sighed, gathering his patience. This was something that they were going to have to work on; it would save him a lot of stress and anxiety in the long run.

Buffy looked coyly at him.

"I said a lot of things, Doctor, you'll need to be more specific." Buffy replied playfully. He straightened up.

"Buffy…" He was serious now, and Buffy's face dropped. She knew it was too good to be true. Buffy chose to turn and walk away, not wishing to feel her heart being ripped from her chest and crushed underneath the rubber heel of his converse. Sure, she was being a tad melodramatic; but it was just how she felt. However, when she felt his hands on her shoulders stopping her from leaving; her hope rose. He closed the distance between them, and she could feel his body warmth on her back. "Did you really mean what you said before?" He whispered into her ear. Buffy turned to face him. He looked vulnerable and hopeful at the same time.

She beamed with joy, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I couldn't be more serious." Buffy whispered back. The Doctor didn't hesitate; he immediately kissed his Slayer. A long, slow and deep kiss that held a very real promise within it.

"Uh, hi? Is it safe to come back up there yet?" Martha called out from down below. Both Buffy and the Doctor started laughing and reluctantly pulled apart, but he gallantly led her over to the Pilot seat and kisses her knuckles like he did during the village dance.

"It's alright, Martha. You can come out now." The Doctor replied, as Buffy takes a seat on the Pilot's chair. Martha comes up the stairs, and looks confused when she sees the Doctor bouncing around the console as usual; flicking switches, pushing buttons and turning knobs. "So, where shall we go now?" The Doctor asked cheerfully, and turns to the girls. Martha paused, thinking. But Buffy already had an idea.

"I've been thinking. We didn't get a real chance to dance last night, and I remembered that my school was holding a 'Spring Fling'. So I vote that we could go back to Sunnydale and go to the dance?" Buffy suggested.

Martha shrugged, but grinned.

"That sounds like fun."

"Sunnydale it is!" The Doctor agreed and moved to put in the coordinates. Buffy suddenly spoke up.

"Can you send us back to just before we left? I need to finish my patrol." The Doctor nodded, and finished putting in the coordinates.

"Let's go!" Martha and Buffy started chatting amongst themselves about Buffy's life in Sunnydale so far. The Doctor observed fondly, but the TARDIS suddenly made a low wheeze that caused the Doctor to frown and he glanced at the console screen. His eyes widened in horror.

They were bringing Buffy back to the night before her death.

* * *

 **A/N: I hoped you enjoyed reading this chapter. :D Stay tuned for the next update. Cheers guys, and please review with your thoughts!**


	14. If I Should Die Before I Wake

**Thanks for tuning in! This chapter is supposed to give an insight into what happens before the events of the prologue. ('Prophecy Girl').**

 **I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson.** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ **© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions. Cheers xx**

* * *

 **IF I SHOULD DIE BEFORE I WAKE…**

" _I want what's yours and I want what's mine.  
I want you, but I'm not giving in this time."  
_ _ **~Michelle Branch: 'Goodbye to You' (Broken Bracelet [2000])**_

* * *

The cemetery is a jumble of stones, as if the burial places were chosen by throwing the shovel in the air and digging where it landed. They sit at jaunty angles to one another, no two of them the same shape or size. The only thing that ties them together is their age, all of them over a century. The night air was suddenly pierced with the sounds of the TARDIS materialising. The door opened and out popped the Doctor, who looked about curiously and cautiously, since his last visit to Sunnydale turned out to be a very dangerous one indeed. He was wearing a very false smile on his face that both Martha and Buffy had found strange for the normally cheerful and wacky Doctor; and he kept giving Buffy side looks whenever he thought she wasn't looking.

"Home, sweet home." The Doctor announced, stepping out and across the dewy lawn.

"What time is it, Doctor?" Buffy called out from inside the TARDIS.

The Doctor frowned and contemplated a hidden watch around his wrist before answering.

"About 1am I suspect." Buffy and Martha stepped out and glanced about.

"Great. I've got just enough time for another quick sweep before I've gotta go to bed. I've got school in the morning, and I've got to report in to Giles." Buffy said, distractedly. Martha looked around, slightly uncomfortable.

"I've never really liked cemeteries. They give me the creeps." Buffy withdrew her stake from within her jacket and handed Martha a wooden cross. She offered the Doctor another stake, but he just fixed her with a look. _Oh, yeah. Weapons…_ Buffy rolled her eyes and popped it back in her jacket.

"I used to think the same way, Martha. Then when I started spending all my time in them, I just got used to it." Buffy admitted. "Ready?" She asked them both.

"No, not really." Martha said. Then her eyes widened when she glimpsed something advancing towards them from the shadows. "But I'm guessing we're going to have to be." She pointed towards the shadow, and Buffy turned and made a face.

"Welcome to the Hellmouth." She muttered, as the shadow stepped into the moonlight and revealed itself as a vampire on the prowl. His golden eyes glinted wickedly. "Martha, stay with the Doctor." Buffy warned her.

"And what are you going to do?" Buffy smirked.

"What I do best."

The vampire roared.

"Slayer!" And pounced. Buffy responded with a jump kick, which stunned the vampire and send him sprawling backwards. She moved into a defensive position.

"Buffy?" The Doctor's voice called out with concern. Then Buffy is suddenly grabbed from behind, her arms pinned to her sides and a familiar growl sounded in her ear. It was another vampire, presumably tag teaming with the one now on his feet and grinning triumphantly.

Buffy rolled her eyes.

"You guys need to come up with new strategies." She bucked, trying to get away.

"Doctor, do something!" Martha yelled. Buffy jammed the heel of her boot into the vampire's instep and he yelled out in pain, loosening his arms long enough for Buffy to slam the back of her head against his nose, then quickly flip him over her shoulder and throw out a roundhouse kick to his jaw when he recovered.

"Stay back, both of you!" But Buffy's warning had caused her precious seconds and she was rugby-tackled from the side, which caused her to stumble and crash into a nearby tombstone which crumbled underneath her weight.

"NO!" The Doctor screamed, but Martha held him back.

"Doctor, she said to stay back!"

"I don't care!" He retorted and stepped forward, waving his arms at the vampires advancing upon Buffy who is down for the count. "Hey! Over here! A happy meal on legs!" The Doctor declared himself. "Surely, you'd want an appetiser before the main course?" Both vampires eyed up both Martha and the Doctor, and grinned.

The Doctor grabbed Martha's hand.

"What are you doing?" Martha demanded, nervously.

"Get ready to run."

"What?!"

"RUN!" The Doctor yelled, urgently. Martha yelled out in fear, as she and the Doctor took off running through the cemetery, pursued closely by the two vamps. It only took a few seconds before Buffy recovered, albeit bleeding from a split lip and feeling slightly dazed. She is alerted to Martha's terrified scream in the distance.

"Stop! Leave her alone!" Came the Doctor's panicked voice.

"Shit!" Buffy cursed and took off in the direction.

She came across Martha backed up against a mausoleum thrusting the cross in one of the vamps' face, while the Doctor was wrestling violently with the other, but scarcely paying it attention; more focused on Martha and her safety. Buffy belatedly remembered when she had first met the Doctor and kicked herself for forgetting that the Doctor's alien blood was toxic to vampires. Short of being bitten by a brainless vampire, the Doctor would live minus a mouthful of blood. But Martha was the one who was the most vulnerable. Buffy spun the stake in her hands, before launching it with deadly accuracy at the vampire cornering Martha and impaling it in the back. He grunted, eying Martha in surprise before promptly falling to his knees and exploding into dust.

Martha glanced up at Buffy and gasped at the raw intensity on the Slayer's face. This was the true face of the legendary Slayer: her face was set, her green eyes were hard and steely and got the message across: 'I'm the Slayer, and you're dead meat!' Buffy's eyes swivelled over to the next vampire, who immediately dropped the Doctor like a sack of potatoes and ran for it. Without uttering a word, Buffy calmly pulled free her spare stake that the Doctor had rejected before and quicker than firing an arrow from a bow, delivered to him the same execution as his partner got. The next second his ashes were blowing in the wind. Buffy walked over to her Doctor and brandished her hand at him; but he didn't need any help getting up and immediately crushed Buffy to his chest.

"Don't ever scare me like that again!" The Doctor spoke harshly into her ear. Buffy looked bewildered by his reaction, but smiled and wrapped her arms around him.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Martha stepped back from the mausoleum and approached Buffy, looking horrified.

"That's what you do, every single night?" She sounded appalled.

Buffy looked sheepish.

"Pretty much. Those two were just the welcoming party. I've dealt with worse." Martha gave her a flat look.

"Worse? How many vampires do you deal with in one patrol?"

"On average? In one night I could dust up to about 5 maybe more. But it depends if some vampire is trying to rise to power or has one hell of an ego that he can't help but stroke; then it could be more." Buffy replied, tiredly. "Sometimes, if my calling is really trying to stick it to me, it could even throw in a demon or two."

"That's insane!"

"That's the Hellmouth." The Doctor stated, bluntly.

"Yeah, don't remind me. I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to describe this to Giles when I see him today at school." Buffy grumbled. The Doctor came over and kissed Buffy's temple comfortingly.

"You'll find a way, you usually do." He reassured her. "Come on, let's help you finish your patrol for the night." He said. Taking off in a random direction. Buffy didn't follow.

"Uh, Doctor? This way." She pointed in the opposite direction. And the Doctor changed course, with a stunned Martha following. Buffy shook her head and ran to catch them.

* * *

The Doctor wished that he could say that he was relieved that that hadn't been the time that Buffy was to die, but he wasn't. He knew something much, much worse was coming; and he had a feeling it had something to do with an eerie, gothic style cave, candles and Buffy wearing a simple, but beautiful white dress. Buffy lead the Doctor and Martha back to her house on Revello Drive. She had finished with her patrol for the night, and still needed to do some last minute pieces of her homework she wasn't able to complete before going on patrol.

"And this is home." Buffy said, stopping before the yellow house. Her mom's car wasn't in the driveway, which meant to Buffy that she had to work late that night at the Gallery. _Thank you, God…_ Buffy thought as she strode up the pathway and got out her keys. "Come on in!" Martha and the Doctor stepped inside the house and inspected the interior.

"Your mum's got lovely taste." Martha observed politely.

Buffy nodded, and led them both into the lounge room.

"Take a seat anywhere." She darts into the kitchen. "Does anyone want something to drink?" She peered into the fridge. "I've got soda, bottled water, milk, juice?" Buffy offered.

"Do you have any tea?" Martha asked. The Doctor brightened up at that.

"Ooh, I wouldn't mind that myself." Buffy made a face. _What is it with Brits and tea?_ She thought, shaking her head.

"I think Mom might have some in the cupboard. I'll check." She darted over to the cupboard and peered inside. As she did so, Buffy glanced out into the backyard and spotted the perfect spot for the TARDIS to hide while they were here. "Doctor?" He came into the kitchen and stood behind her. "If you wanna get the TARDIS, you can park it out there. If you want?" The Doctor contemplated this.

"It's not a bad idea." He replies. "Good idea, Buffy." He goes back out into the living room. "Will you be alright here, Martha? I'm just gonna duck out for a sec." The Doctor explained.

"Where are you going?"

"Get the TARDIS. Can't be too careful." He replied with a grin. "Back in a bit!" He darts out of the front door and disappears down the street. Buffy comes out with a mug of hot tea for Martha, who looked a bit worried.

"What's up?" Buffy questioned, passing it to her.

"Won't the Doctor be in danger out there?" Martha asked. Buffy shook her head.

"I doubt it. The Doctor has an ace up his sleeve when it comes to vampires." Buffy stated with a smile.

"What's that?"

"His blood is toxic to vampires." Martha blinked at her.

"Well, he kept that part to himself." She sounded a little annoyed. Buffy turned for the stairs, indicating for Martha to follow her.

"He didn't know." Buffy stated. "He was just as surprised as the vamp that bit him. Of course, that vamp didn't last very long to spread the word, so…" Martha nodded, understanding before she yawned. "You look beat. Feel free to crash on my bed, I've gotta something to do before I sleep anyway." Buffy suggested.

Martha hesitated.

"I could always take the couch downstairs."

"Yeah, but then I'd have to explain to my mom why there's a stranger sleeping on the couch. It'll get complicated and I don't want to do deal with that sort of drama." Buffy babbled.

Martha nodded. "If you don't mind?"

"Mi casa es tu casa." Buffy responded as she reached her room and walked in. Martha hesitated before walking in and shutting the door behind her.

* * *

About ten minutes later, Buffy was finishing off her homework which was due first thing at school, and Martha was passed out on Buffy's bed. Suddenly, the entire house starts to shake, waking up Martha.

"What? What's happening!?" She sits bolt upright looking scared. Buffy immediately grabs Martha's wrist and drags her to the door.

"Earthquake!" Buffy shouts as she opens the door, stands in the doorway and covers Martha protectively.

"Buffy! Martha!" The Doctor shouts from the landing.

"Upstairs!" Buffy shouts above the rattling house. The Doctor comes round the corner and spots both girls huddling in the doorframe. Quickly, the Doctor rushes over and cocoons around Buffy and Martha. After a few more minutes, the Earthquake passes and the Doctor straightens up.

"Are you both okay?" He questions them. Buffy nodded, used to it, but also looking a little disturbed.

Martha looks fed up.

"Blimey, that was big. Do you get these a lot?" She asks Buffy, who snorts.

"This is California. We live on God's etch-a-sketch." The Doctor doesn't look very amused.

"I think it's best, Martha, if you sleep in the TARDIS. It's probably the safest place for you at the moment." The Doctor suggested.

Martha looked taken aback.

"But what about Buffy?"

"She's used to it, she knows what to do. You don't." The Doctor explained, using a 'don't argue' tone.

Martha gives a huff, too tired to give a damn and stomps down the staircase, easily locating the TARDIS standing out in the Summers' backyard.

"What about you?" Buffy asked him. "Aren't you tired?" The Doctor shook his head.

"I don't need a lot of sleep. It's a Time Lord thing." He said dismissively. Buffy shrugged.

"Colour me stunned." He smiles. "I better get to sleep, got school in the morning." Buffy reminded him.

"Of course, I'll see you in the morning." The Doctor wraps Buffy up into an affectionate hug and she kisses his cheek. "Sweet dreams." He whispers, kissing her nose before breaking the embrace and disappearing back downstairs.

Buffy stares after him.

"Oh, boy…"

* * *

The next morning, Buffy woke up; she showered, dressed in black leather pants, shoestring plum coloured top, her black high-heeled boots and pinned back her long blonde hair and went downstairs expecting to see her mother, Joyce, sitting in the Kitchen as usual; sipping her coffee and reading the morning paper. Not so much. Instead, she was greeted with a note on the fridge from Joyce, and both the Doctor and Martha sitting at the island bench chatting … like it was completely normal.

"Uh, hi?" Buffy called out, confused. Both the Doctor and Martha looked over at her and smiled.

"Buffy! Good morning!" The Doctor greeted her. "Just met your mother. Lovely, lovely woman."

Buffy was surprised.

"You did? And she didn't question you over and over again about who you are, and what you were doing here and how you knew me?" Martha looked a little uncomfortable.

"Well, we didn't exactly meet her face to face. What the Doctor meant was, we saw her from a distance and she seemed lovely." She explained.

"Oh." Buffy looked relieved. "So I won't be expecting an awkward, hard-to-explain conversation with her tonight. Good." Then she looked at the clock and cursed. "Oh! I'm gonna be so late. We better run." Buffy stated.

"We?" Martha frowned. "Don't you think we look a little bit old to be still going to high school?"

Buffy gave her a look.

"Giles works in the Library at school. One of the perks of being the Slayer is that I need to report in to him every day about my patrol, and unfortunately you qualify as evidence." Buffy explained.

"Brilliant, take me to your leader." The Doctor said, brightly. Buffy and Martha giggled.

"You've always wanted to say that, didn't you?" Buffy asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, yes!" The Doctor grinned.

* * *

Buffy led the Doctor and Martha towards the Sunnydale High School Library, walking in just as Giles came out of his office and was walking over to the book cage.

"Morning!" Buffy greeted brightly, then falters slightly when she takes in the damage the late night Earthquake had caused. Giles turned and stared at Buffy as though he had seen a ghost. "Wow. The damage looks fairly structural." Buffy commented, frowning a little.

"Are we safe in here?" Martha whispers to the Doctor, who nods, but is more focused upon Giles and his reaction upon seeing Buffy.

He frowns.

"Buffy!" Giles exclaims, and Buffy reacts.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" She touches it with alarm, but Giles recovers from his shock and addresses his Slayer a little more calmly.

"No! Uh, and, and yes, we're, we're safe." He indicated vaguely to the stacks, which are lying about like toppled over dominoes. "Uh, but probably best not to go up there." He adds before eying both the Doctor and Martha curiously. "Who are you both?"

The Doctor recovers easily, and gives a friendly smile to Giles.

"Sorry, hello! I'm the Doctor and this is the lovely Martha Jones." Martha smiles politely and waves as The Doctor walks forward and greets Giles with a friendly handshake. Giles frowns curiously.

"Uh, Doctor who?"

"Just the Doctor." The Time Lord replied, brightly. "And it looks like you've got a bit of a situation." He indicated to the fallen bookcases. "Do you need some assistance straightening up?" He asked politely. Giles looks astonished, but relieved.

"Well, uh, yes that would be most welcomed. But if you don't mind me asking, what is your purpose here? How do you know Buffy?" He asked, looking slightly confused.

"That's one of the few things I need to discuss with you, Giles." Buffy explained.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, but how're you doin' there? Get much sleep last night?" Buffy asked indicating his dishevelled appearance. Giles was distracted.

"Um … I-I-I've been working."

"Me, too." Buffy took a seat at the study table, and Martha joined while the Doctor glanced about the room with interest, being careful about the toppled over book shelves on the upper landing. But he was also, observing Giles curiously. The poor man looked very distressed about something, and he was intrigued to find out what it was. "I went hunting last night, and it is awfully sweet of you to ask." Buffy explained sarcastically. "I met the Doctor on patrol last night. And you won't believe what he is." She reported.

Giles immediately stopped pacing and turned to look at Buffy.

"Buffy, please tell me you haven't gone and told other civilians that you are the Slayer." Giles asked, looking pained.

Buffy frowned.

"I didn't have to. The Doctor had already guessed when we first met last night." She stated. Giles sighed.

"Very well, go on. Please enlighten me." Giles eyed the Doctor, who came up to Buffy and stood casually behind her chair.

"He's an alien." That was a first for Giles, but at the same time he wasn't amused.

"Buffy, I have a lot of work to do, and I don't have time for you to be pulling practical jokes. Could you please just get to the point?" Giles said, rather shortly.

Buffy sighed.

"I'm not kidding, Giles. He's the real deal."

"Really? Because he looks vaguely human to me." Giles retorted, eyeing the Doctor up and down.

"That's what I said too." Martha commented, looking amused. Giles looked at her sceptically.

"And I suppose Buffy is going to tell me that you're an alien as well?"

"No, I'm 100% human." Martha replied.

"And for the record, we came first." The Doctor pointed out. Giles was getting annoyed.

"Then spit it out man, what exactly are you?"

"I'm a Time Lord." The Doctor replied, seriously. Giles blinked, and removed his glasses; polishing them.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to see the proof of this." He asked. Buffy groaned.

"This is the fourth time." The Doctor frowned at her.

"Steady on, sweetheart. One step at a time. Besides this is the best way to prove it." He scolded her lightly, as he once again withdrew his stethoscope and handed it over to Giles. The watcher took them, staring in confusion.

Buffy clarified.

"He's got two hearts, Giles." Giles replaced his glasses and approached the Doctor. Without another word, he like all the others placed the drum onto the Doctor's chest and made his discovery.

"Good lord. You really are what you say you are." Giles looked up at the Doctor, curiously. "And if you don't mind me asking, what were you doing the graveyard when Buffy was patrolling last night."

"Just passing through. However, Buffy did initially thought I was some sort of vampire … that is until we made a rather unusual, but effective way of eliminating them." The Doctor explained.

"His blood is toxic to vampires." Buffy revealed. Giles was shocked.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Martha stated.

"A little." Giles agreed. Buffy decided to move on with her surprisingly long report.

"It's getting hairy out there, Giles. I killed three vampires last night, and one of them was practically on school grounds. I chased after him to the cemetery where I first met the Doctor." Giles looked grave.

"Their numbers are increasing."

"Yeah, and they're getting cockier." Buffy added. "Look, I'm not loving it. Last night was a pretty close call." The Doctor winced, and placed a hand on Buffy's shoulder; squeezing it. She reached up and grabbed a hold of it, trying to comfort him.

Giles noticed.

"You seem concerned about that, Doctor." Giles stated. Buffy hesitated.

"Well, there's more. The Doctor can travel through time and space, Giles. I needed proof that the Doctor was who he said was. So he decided to take me on a trip through time." Giles scoffed.

"Time travel is scientifically impossible, Buffy." Giles stated.

"Hey, I take offence at that. I'm not called a Time Lord just because it sounds cool." The Doctor stated.

Giles looked taken aback.

"So, time travel is really possible then?"

"I met William Shakespeare. What do you think?" Buffy retorted. Giles' eyes widened in surprise. "And went to New York in the 1930's and was stuck in the world's longest traffic jam in the future, was nearly roasted alive on a spaceship, witnessed some seriously gross human evolution stuff, and travelled back to 1913." Buffy rattled off her busy travel interary.

"The bard? You met the bard." Giles sounded almost jealous.

"While battling some seriously nasty witches, thank you very much." Martha added, shuddering.

"Carrionites." The Doctor corrected.

"Whatever."

"Witches? Again?" Giles looked overwhelmed by the information he was receiving. Buffy decided to deliver the final blow, and hoped that Giles could accept it. However, it seemed the Doctor knew what she was about to do and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and he shook his head.

"Later." He whispered and Buffy looked pained. Giles still looked very distracted, despite the colourful report Buffy had just given him. This greatly concerned the Doctor, who barely knew the man. Something was just not quite right, and in intended on finding out what that was.

"Hmm? Well, I'm very glad that you're alright. Uh, I-I need to verify, um… I just can't really talk right now." Giles muttered, deepening the Doctor's frown. Even Martha was growing concerned. Buffy however, hadn't noticed anything odd.

"Fine. That's okay. I can't put it off any longer. I have to meet my terrible fate." Giles spun around and looked at her with horror.

"What?!" _Yes, definitely getting to the bottom of this…_ The Doctor confirmed, as Buffy got to her feet and gathered up her things.

"Biology." She stated. The bell rings as Buffy leaves the Library to go to class. Giles watches her go. The Doctor jogs to catch up with her.

"Buffy, I'm gonna stick around in the Library for a bit." Buffy looked amused.

"Of course, you are. It's book paradise in there." She teased and The Doctor nodded.

"There's that. But I'm going to discuss something with Mr. Giles as well." Buffy shrugged.

"Okay?" She leaned in and kissed him before turning and disappearing down the hall towards Biology. The Doctor watched her go before turning back into the Library. He and Martha needed to have a little chat with Buffy's watcher, who seemed to be hiding something bad from his Slayer.

* * *

The Doctor retreated back inside the Library and approached Giles, who was sitting in his office pursuing several large tomes and looking worried and scared. Martha got up from the table and joined him.

"Excuse me, Mr. Giles. We couldn't help but notice that you're looking a little bit stressed, despite what you told Buffy." Martha observed.

Giles turned on them.

"With all due respect, I don't see what any business this is of yours." Giles replied, rather sharply.

"Now see that's why we're concerned." The Doctor pointed out.

"Even if I told you, I don't see how you could help." Giles insisted. The Doctor tried a different method of getting across to him.

"Does it involve Buffy?" The Doctor asked, intuitively.

"What makes you suggest that?" Giles demanded, looking at him suspiciously. The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Your reaction when she first arrived, the fact that you've got a very troubled expression on your face, and the fact that you've been distracted since we've been here." Giles was momentarily silenced.

"Thank you for your concern, but anything concerning Buffy is my responsibility as her watcher." Giles insisted.

"Well, that makes two of us then. Because Buffy is under my protection as well." The Doctor responded firmly. Giles looked at him curiously.

"What are you to Buffy, exactly?" He asked, protectively. The Doctor didn't blink, but Martha saw red flags and tried to signal to the Doctor to quit while he was ahead. But she was ignored.

"Her world apparently, or so she told me." The Doctor replied, honestly. Giles was shocked.

"That's impossible. You look half her age."

"Not even close actually. I'm closer to 900-years-old." The Doctor responded matter-of-factly. Giles looked a cross between stunned and appalled as he looked the Doctor up and down in disbelief.

"I hope you are aware that Buffy is sixteen-years-old, and a minor." He pointed out. The Doctor scratched his head, but otherwise didn't look fazed.

"The thought has crossed my mind once or twice, but if you're thinking what I think you're thinking of; then you can relax. I'm not an idiot." The Doctor stated, sounding a bit irritated that he was being treated like a potential perv. "I'd also like to point out that if you have any intention of trying to break Buffy and I apart, rest assured I am not the type of man to be trifled with. I have waited for far too long to find her, and I'll be damned if I lose her." He warned with a hard voice.

Giles appeared to be quite surprised how passionate the Doctor was about the subject of Buffy and his relationship. If this strange man was this devoted, Buffy was indeed a very lucky young woman. It also made Giles question what hardship the Doctor had to endure to reach this point in his life.

"He's right, sir. You'd need a crowbar to pry them apart." Martha told Giles.

The Doctor smirked at Martha's description. Giles still had reservations about Buffy falling in love with, and quite frankly being involved with a centuries-year-old alien. But he needed to reveal what he had discovered to someone. It was not something that anyone should know about and be able to sleep at night. And if the Doctor was who he said he was, then perhaps he could find a solution.

Martha got to her feet.

"I got to visit the loo. Back in a sec." She explained, and hurried out of the Library.

"How familiar are you with prophecies, Doctor?" Giles questioned. The Doctor immediately frowned.

"Reasonably familiar. But I must warn you that if you've unearthed one; know that prophecies are known to be nasty, tricky pieces of foreknowledge that doesn't always mean what they reveal." The Doctor explained.

Giles allowed himself to relax a little.

"Well, that's some relief, I suppose." He darted back into his office and retrieved the document he had been slaving over. The Doctor slipped on his glasses and took it from Giles, frowning as he read. "I've already translated the Latin, but I do not like what I read. I'm waiting for a…" He hesitated. "…friend of mine to bring a crucial text with him that should shed some light on the subject." The Doctor's face grew more and more hard the more of the document he read.

"I think you're doing the right thing waiting for that text your friend is bringing." The Doctor stated, then looked at Giles curiously. "What is the name of the text your friend is bringing?"

"Uh, I believe it's called _The Codex?_ " Giles babbled distractedly. The Doctor looked at him with wide eyes.

"That book has been lost for centuries, it's older than even me." He stated, disbelievingly. "Where on Earth did he find it?" Giles looked a little uncomfortable.

"He, uh, has connections." The Doctor looked sceptical.

"I can't wait to meet him."

* * *

Class finished, and Martha had gotten lost trying to find her way back to the Library. But she was in no rush because she had a feeling the Doctor was going to 'talk turkey' with Mr. Giles, and she knew that it would be boring for her. So she dawdled, and decided to take a tour around the school, thinking she'd eventually find her way back. Along the way, Martha spies Buffy coming out of some nearby doors with a pretty redhead and a gangly looking boy who was staring at Buffy with moon-eyes – that Martha recognised all too well, because she had once given them to an oblivious Doctor, before he and Buffy had even become a couple – and watched them head towards a balcony and down some stairs.

Martha follows at a discreet distance.

"Wow. That was boring." Buffy exhales. Xander agreed.

"I don't feel that boring covers it."

"No, boring falls short." Buffy laughs.

"Even I was bored. And I'm a science nerd." Willow stated, as Buffy gave Willow a disapproving look.

"Don't say that."

Willow grins.

"I'm not ashamed. It's the computer age. Nerds are in." Then she looked slightly worried. "They are still in, right?" Martha giggles. Willow sounded like the type of person Martha probably would have been friends with when she was in school, and they probably would be once Buffy introduced her and her other friend to her and the Doctor. Although, judging by the blinkered look he was giving Buffy; the Doctor had competition for Buffy's affections. _Good luck, mate. You're gonna need it…_ Martha decided to continue on her way to the Library. She could always ask for directions. But it looked like Xander was trying to get Buffy alone to ask her something, and Martha knew that it wouldn't end well … for him.

She knew where Buffy's heart lay, and that the Doctor could be very fierce when challenged.

* * *

Martha returned to the Library after asking one of the students for directions, and found the Doctor standing in the restored stacks and Giles in the office. Giles was on the phone, attempting to connect to somebody while the Doctor was reading from a very thick looking book. The expression on his face, matched the one Giles had had on his before Martha left the Library. Immediately, she was concerned. What happened between when she had left the Library and when she had returned?

Martha approached him.

"Doctor, what's wrong?" The Doctor looked up, and Martha stifled a gasp. He had fear in his eyes.

"Mr. Giles found a prophecy potentially involving Buffy, and it's not good news." The Doctor told her.

"Are you sure it's Buffy?" Martha asked.

"Yes, of course I'm sure!" He growled, earning an unimpressed look from Martha, and he immediately apologised.

"Hello. Uh, this is Giles. Uh… uh, Rupert Giles." They both heard, and turned their heads in the direction of the office; in time to notice an attractive older woman walk into the Library and approach the office. "I-I need to see you. No, I-I realise that. Uh… come after sundown. Good. I'll see you then." Giles hangs up, and both the Doctor and Martha glanced at each other, questioning who Giles had just contacted.

"You know, that outfit looks just like the one you wore yesterday. Only wrinklier. Were you here all night?" The Doctor crept closer to the door, gesturing for Martha to follow.

"Sorry, uh… I'm not really up to, uh, socialising just now." Giles responded. She frowned.

"Something's going on, Rupert, and I'm guessing you already know what it is."

Giles immediately turns and gets to his feet.

"What do you know?" He demands.

"Just what I would like to know as well." The Doctor appears, startling the woman.

"Who are you?" She asks, cautiously. Giles glances absently at the Doctor before remembering his manners.

"I'm terribly sorry, this is the Doctor and Martha Jones. They are some new friends of Buffy's." Giles introduces. "This is Ms. Jenny Calendar." Martha smiles politely.

"It's nice to meet you." She greets Ms. Calendar.

"Yes, it's a pleasure. Now, please what do you know?" The Doctor insists, impatiently. Martha elbows him in the ribs. "Ow! What was that for?" Martha rolls her eyes.

"Sorry. He's just really concerned." Martha explains. Ms. Calendar nods uncertainly before she explains.

"Well, I've been surfing the 'Net, looking for unexplained incidents. Here's the latest." She goes through a list of bizarre incidents that make even the Doctor raise an eyebrow. He couldn't help but wonder if strange, abnormal things like this happened all the time in Sunnydale. "Throw in last night's earthquake, and I'd say we've got a problem. I would say the end is pretty seriously nigh." Ms. Calendar stated.

"Understatement of the year." Martha mutters, shocked by what she had just heard. Giles looked wary.

"I don't know if I can trust you." Ms. Calendar looked peeved, but also slightly worried.

"I helped you cast that demon out of the Internet. I think that merits some trust." Giles still didn't look convinced. "Look, I'm scared, okay? And I've got this crazy monk emailing me from Cortona about some Anointed One?" Giles looked up in shock.

"The Anointed One? He's dead!"

"Clearly, not." The Doctor disagreed.

"Who's the monk?" Martha asked, curiously.

"Uh, a brother Luca something? Keeps sending out global mailings about a prophecy." Both Giles and the Doctor exchanged grim expressions. Giles turned back to his mountains of books.

"I need you to talk to him, find out everything he knows." He asked. Ms. Calendar frowned.

"Look, Rupert, you haven't told me jack, so what's with the order?" Giles was losing his patience.

"Just do it! I'll explain later." Ms. Calendar looked taken aback, before frowning again.

"You'd better."

* * *

As the sun set, another person arrived. A person that the Doctor instantly recognised; and he was not impressed to see him. He had seriously never thought he'd see Angelus again, but he was pleased that his curse was still intact. It was one of his more creative suggestions to the Gypsies in terms of punishments.

"Giles! I've got _the Codex_." Angel said, walking through via the entrance in the stacks, and walked right up to the watcher, who immediately took it and started flipping through the pages.

"I see you've been keeping out of trouble, Angelus." The Doctor remarked casually, straightening up after checking on Martha who had fallen asleep at the study table. Angel jumped at the name, immediately turning and facing the Doctor.

He frowned in confusion.

"Who are you?" The Doctor chuckled humourlessly.

"I'm not surprised you don't recognise me. I've regenerated half a dozen times since you've last seen me." The Doctor explained. Angel's face twisted in shock.

"Doctor?!" Angel turned towards Giles, accusingly. "Why didn't you tell me he was here?" Giles looked completely disinterested in the question.

"I didn't know you knew him. And besides, I couldn't really care less at present. I'm more concerned about the prophecy."

Buffy chose that moment to walk in, having experienced a bad day of her own.

"Giles, you are not gonna believe this." She muttered to herself, and noticed Martha passed out at the study table. She starts over to her, aiming to tell her friend about her crappy day, but stops when she hears Giles talking and peeks into his office. Buffy sees Giles pouring over several thick volumes, and a tiny ancient looking book in his hands; while the Doctor stood in the doorway looking extremely grave, and eying an unseen Angel with mistrust.

"It's clear. It's what's gonna happen. Uh, it's happening now!" Giles was saying. Buffy's eyes widened when Angel suddenly moves into the light to read the Codex.

"Angel?" She whispered, in confusion; and oddly surprised that she no longer felt any butterflies when she saw him. Buffy heads towards the office.

"It can't be. You've gotta be wrong."

The Doctor senses Buffy's presence and glances behind to see Buffy, and immediately looks anguished as he turns completely towards her. Buffy mouths 'what?' at him, but before he could reply; Giles unknowingly does it for him.

"I've checked it against all my other volumes. So has the Doctor! It's very real."

"Real, yes. But you've obviously chosen not to listen when I said that prophesies aren't always clear." The Doctor reminded him, using a low reasonable tone. Angel shakes his head in despair.

"Well, there's gotta be some way around it." He insisted. Giles turns on him.

"The Doctor is quite correct. Thank you for reminding me, by the way." He tells him. "And Buffy has thwarted these prophecies time and time again. But unfortunately, this is the Codex; there is nothing in it that does not come to pass." Giles insisted.

"Then you're reading it wrong!" Angel was stubborn and the Doctor got into his face.

"Oh, don't be so thick!" He snarled, before walking out of the office and straight towards Buffy, knowing that she was not going to like what was about to be said next.

"Doctor, what is going on?" Buffy whispered, urgently. The Doctor pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He muttered, as he voice broke. Giles seemed to agree with him.

"I second that. I wish to God I was reading it wrong! But it's very plain! Tomorrow night, Buffy will face the Master, and she will die."

Buffy froze in the Doctor's arms.

"Oh, my God!" Martha whispered. She had just woken up and had heard what Giles had said. She glanced at Buffy with horror. Buffy took a step back from the Doctor; stunned.

"Well, have you verified the text?" Angel demands, then reacts when Buffy starts laughing darkly. The Doctor's face fell in despair, as Angel and Giles finally take notice. Both of them slowly start to walk away from the office door, as Buffy walks over to the table.

"Buffy? Are you okay?" Martha asks.

Buffy ignores her.

"So that's it, huh? I remember the drill. One Slayer dies, next one's called!" Buffy trails off, looking angry and thoughtful. "Wonder who she is." She turns to Giles. "Will you train her? Or will they send someone else?" Giles panicked.

"Buffy, I…"

"They say how he's gonna kill me? Do you think it'll hurt?" Buffy wondered, fearful. Tears are flowing freely from her eyes. Angel attempts to come over to hug her, but she glares at him and steps away. "If you even think of touching me, I'll jab a stake in you!" Angel is taken aback, and the Doctor glares at him too. "Were you even gonna tell me?" She demands Giles, then at everybody else. "Any of you!?"

"We were hoping that we wouldn't have to. That there was … some way around it. I…" Giles sounded helpless. So Buffy decided to make it easier for him.

"I've got a way around it. I quit!" The Doctor walks over to her.

"It's not that simple, sweetheart." He tells her gently, and Buffy refuses to look at him feeling betrayed, while Angel looks at him suspiciously.

"I'm making it that simple! I quit! I resign, I-I'm fired, you can find someone else to stop the Master from taking over!" Buffy insisted.

"I'm not sure that anyone else can. All the … the signs indicate …" Buffy looked at him angrily.

"The signs?" Her voice was low and dangerous, as she turns to the table and picks up a book and throws it at him with force. It misses him by inches. "READ ME THE SIGNS!" She picks up another heavier book and hurls it at him. "TELL ME MY FORTUNE! YOU'RE SO USEFUL SITTING HERE WITH ALL YOUR BOOKS! YOU'RE REALLY A LOTTA HELP!" She screamed at him.

Martha came over and grabbed her arms.

"Buffy, stop!" Buffy sagged in Martha's arms allowing the older woman to hug her as she attempted to comfort her.

"No, I don't suppose I am." Giles admits.

"I know this is hard." Angel states, and both Martha and the Doctor glare at him for stating the obvious.

"Thanks for clearing that up, it really didn't occur to us the first time." The Doctor retorts sarcastically and Angel ignores him, focusing on Buffy who agreed with her boyfriend.

"No, he's right. What would you know about this? You're never going to die!" Martha's eyes widened when she realised she had been standing beside a vampire the entire time, but bravely stood her ground.

Angel was mystified with Buffy.

"You think I want anything to happen to you? Do you think I could stand it?" Buffy avoids eye contact with him, and instead focuses on the Doctor who was looking hurt and angry. She hated when she was the cause of his stress. "We just got to figure out a way…"

"I already did. I quit, remember? Pay attention!" Buffy barks at him. Giles looks at her, pleadingly.

"Buffy, if the Master rises…" Buffy yanks the cross Angel had given her from her neck.

"I don't care!" She shouts. It takes her several moments but she eventually calms down under the worried gazes of everybody in the room. "I don't care." She meets Giles' eyes and let's more tears fall down her cheeks. "Giles, I'm sixteen-years-old. I don't wanna die." Giles and Angel are at a loss for words, and all the Doctor wants to do is grab both Buffy and Martha and just run as fast and as far as they can. He gazes at his girlfriend with frustration as Buffy throws down her cross and walks out of the Library without looking back. Martha follows, throwing a disgusted look at both Giles and Angel as she went.

As she passes the Doctor, she pauses and whispers to him.

"I'll go with her, make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." The Doctor nods, smiling slightly. "Give me an hour or two, and I'll bring her back to the TARDIS. Away from nosy eyes." Martha promises him.

"Thank you, Martha." The Doctor replies, as Martha runs after the retreating Slayer.

* * *

 **A/N: What's Buffy to do? Find out next chapter! ;) Please review with your thoughts.**

 **Cheers, guys!**


	15. Let Me Be Brave

**I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson.** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ **© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions. Cheers xx**

* * *

 **LET ME BE BRAVE**

" _No one told me, I was going to find you. Unexpected, what you did to my heart."  
_ _ **~Richard Marx & Donna Lewis: 'At the Beginning' (At the Beginning – Single [1998])**_

* * *

Buffy and Martha were sitting upstairs in Buffy's room, just talking about how she was coping and dealing with the knowledge that she was about to die at the hands of the Master, and looking through one of Buffy's photo albums at cherished memories.

There was a knock at her bedroom door.

"Come in." Buffy called out quietly, flipping through the album.

Joyce walked in, smiling politely at Martha. The young doctor-to-be was introduced to Buffy's mom as a pen-pal Buffy had been exchanging emails with for a few months, and she decided to come down and visit Buffy on a whim.

"I'll be right back." Martha promised Buffy, who nodded but didn't reply.

"Hi, honey. You alright?" Joyce asked, looking concerned.

"Sure."

"Probably just full from that bite of dinner you nearly had." Joyce stated with a raised eyebrow. Buffy didn't respond. "Feel like telling me what's on your mind?" Buffy was quiet for the moment; then an idea occurred to her. Sure, the idea would take her away from the Doctor for the weekend if her mother agreed, but it was worth it if it meant living longer.

"Mom, let's go away!" She smiles. Joyce frowned at the desperate tone in her daughter's voice.

"What?"

"Anywhere, just for a while, all weekend!" Buffy persisted. Martha, who was listening at the door, sighed sadly. _Top marks for trying, Buffy…_

"Honey, I…" Joyce hesitated. But Buffy wasn't giving in without a fight.

"No, it'll be great! You and me, a mother-daughter thing … we can talk about all the embarrassing things you love to bring up." Buffy said with an enthusiasm that Joyce did not buy for a second.

"Buffy, you know the gallery's open on weekends." Joyce reminded her patiently.

"Mom, please!"

Joyce suddenly brightened.

"Isn't the Prom tomorrow night? Or Spring Fling, whatever they're calling it?" Joyce asked, brightly. Buffy's face faltered a little.

"I-I guess."

"Nobody asked you?" Joyce asked.

Buffy bit her lip, her mind instantly rewinding back to the moment when Xander had sat her down and asked her hopefully if she would be his date to the Spring Fling. She had never felt as guilty as she did when she turned him down. After all, her date for the dance was the Doctor, as he was her boyfriend.

"Oh, someone…" She trailed off.

Joyce hummed knowingly.

"Not the right someone. See, sometimes I actually do know what you're thinking." Joyce got up from her daughter's bed and walked to Buffy's closet. "Well, then, uh, this probably isn't the best time for this, but, uh…" She opened the closet to reveal a beautiful, white sleeveless dress.

Martha decided this was the right time to walk in.

"Am I interrupting?" Joyce glanced up and smiled.

"Not at all. Maybe you can help me convince Buffy to go to her school's Spring Fling tomorrow night." Martha glanced at the beautiful dress.

"Wow, that's stunning." She complimented.

Joyce nodded.

"I saw Buffy eyeing it at the store. I figured…" Buffy gets up from her bed and approaches the dress, almost afraid of touching it.

"Mom, we can't afford this." Buffy protested, despite picturing herself dressed in it and slow dancing with the Doctor like they did at that dance back in 1913. She smiled at the happy memory.

Joyce laughed slightly.

"The way you've been eating, we can afford it." Joyce insisted. Buffy was touched at her mother's generosity.

"It's beautiful." She thanked her.

"I think you should wear it to the dance." Martha commented, trying to be helpful. Joyce smiled gratefully at Martha. Buffy's eyes widened.

"No, I-I can't go to the dance."

"Says who?" Joyce wanted to know. "Is it written somewhere? You should do what you want." Then she smiled nostalgically. "Homecoming, my freshman year of college. I didn't have a date, so I got dressed up and I went anyway." Joyce reminisced.

"Was it awful?" Buffy asked, awkwardly.

"It _was_ awful. For about an hour." Joyce admitted. Martha smiled at the pair of them, sharing life-experiences together. It made her wish that she could do more of it herself with her own mother, instead of listening to her bitch and moan about her father and his new 21-year-old girlfriend 24/7.

"Then what happened?" Buffy asked, curiously.

"I met your father." Joyce replied, smiling. Buffy looked amused.

"He didn't have a date either?"

"He did. And that's a much funnier story that you will NOT get to hear." Joyce explained. Then sighed. "Oh, but it was a beautiful night!"

Buffy smiled sadly. "And you had your whole life ahead of you."

"Yeah."

"Must be nice." Buffy commented. Joyce withdrew from the room to give her daughter and her visiting friend privacy to talk and catch up. "It's just too bad that I'm not going to get an opportunity to wear that beautiful dress." Buffy told Martha, eying it regretfully. "I so wanted the Doctor to see me in it."

Martha frowned and touched Buffy's shoulder in support.

"And you're still going to. We just need to come up with a plan." Martha stated, as she hopped off the bed and headed for the bedroom door. "And we're going to need the Doctor's input as well." Buffy's eyes widened.

"No, this is my fight! I'm not putting him in danger." She protested, but Martha gave her an incredulous look.

"Buffy, the Doctor is always in constant danger. I doubt this would be any different." She reminded her. Buffy considered this.

"Touché." Buffy said. "But still, Martha…"

"No buts. The Doctor would never forgive himself if he just let you go to your death without at least having a plan set in motion." Martha hesitated. "He loves you too much to let that happen." Buffy felt guilty.

"Martha, I…"

"It's alright, Buffy. I've accepted that the Doctor will never see me the way I want him to. It's just going to take some time to get over it, that's all." Martha admitted. Buffy nodded. "Now, come see me off. And meet me at the tree outside your bedroom window." Martha suggested, as she immediately charged downstairs.

"I hope I don't regret this." Buffy muttered, before following. At the landing, Martha nearly collided with Joyce.

"Martha, can I offer you a drink or something?" Joyce asked.

"No thank you, Ms. Summers. I've really gotta be going, it's getting a little late, and I'll miss my bus back to the motel I'm staying at tonight." Martha lied. Joyce looked a little disappointed.

"Oh, that's too bad. Well, stop on by any time, dear. You're most welcome." Joyce stated warmly.

"I'll be sure to. See ya later, Buffy." Martha said, winking subtly at the Slayer who smiled back. Martha disappeared out of the door and walked out of sight. Joyce turned to her daughter and smiled approvingly.

"She's a lovely girl. And I'm impressed that she's studying to become a doctor. It's a very hard profession." Joyce commented. Buffy grinned.

"I'm glad you like her, Mom." Then she turned to head back upstairs. "I'm gonna have an early night, I'm really tired." Joyce looked a little concerned, but nodded nevertheless.

"Alright, hon. Sleep tight." Buffy nodded.

"I will. Night." Then she raced back upstairs and disappeared behind her bedroom door.

Buffy waited until she heard her mother go into her bedroom, and for the door to click shut before she headed for her bedroom window; shoving a couple of stakes and a cross in her jacket as she went. Martha was already waiting at the base of the tree, by the time she made it out of the window.

"It took you long enough." Martha said, a little crossly. Buffy jumped the rest of the way down and straightened up.

"Sorry, I had to wait until my mom went to bed. I didn't want her to be suspicious." Buffy explained.

Martha sighed.

"It's fine. Let's just go, the Doctor's waiting for us." Martha explained, as she and Buffy took off jogging down the street to where the ever cautious Doctor had relocated his time machine.

* * *

The Doctor was pacing inside the TARDIS, and had been doing so ever since Buffy had fled the Library in angry, frightened tears and Martha followed her. He was furious with both Giles and Angel for the way they handled the entire situation. Buffy was first and foremost an innocent young girl, who should NEVER have found out about her imminent death in that way. He didn't blame her at all for her reaction; although he wished that it were he that was comforting her at that moment. _Thank God for Martha Jones…_ He thought admiringly. Martha had promised that she would bring Buffy back to the TARDIS when she had calmed her down enough.

"Doctor? You in here?" The Doctor immediately spun round as Martha called. She let herself and a quiet Buffy into the TARDIS.

"Martha?" He looked around the console and spotted a solemn Buffy trailing behind her, closing the TARDIS door and leaning against it. The TARDIS wheezed and Buffy gave a small smile.

"Hi, ma'am." She responded to the TARDIS's telepathic sympathetic greeting. Buffy had only taken one step forward when she was suddenly engulfed by an extremely concerned and over-protective Doctor who scooped her up into a hug that literally swept her off her feet.

She really hated being so small.

"Buffy, I'm so sorry you had to learn about this." The Doctor muttered into her shoulder. Buffy didn't reply, she was just happy to be with the only other person she needed comfort from apart from her own mother. She wrapped her arms around the Doctor and gently squeezed back, being mindful of her monstrous strength.

"I don't want to die." Buffy whimpered, tears spilling over once again and soaking through on his suit jacket. The Doctor didn't appear to mind.

"I know, sweetheart, I know. And I'm going to do everything I can to stop it from happening. I'm not going to lose you!" He promises her sincerely and fiercely. Buffy's heart soared as she kissed him gratefully. After a few minutes, Martha cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"I really hate to interrupt. But we haven't really got a lot of time to waste if we're gonna come up with a plan to save Buffy." The Doctor came back to reality, and gently pulled back from Buffy; who stared at her feet, vulnerable and afraid.

"Yes, of course." He replied. He took Buffy's hand and led her towards the console, smiling happily when she tightened the hold. "We have several options. One, Buffy does nothing and we fight the Master ourselves. Two, we run away until it all blows over." He paused at the disapproving expression on both Martha and Buffy's faces. "Right, not an option. Or three, Buffy goes to fight the Master. But the both of us go in with her as back up." It was then that Buffy realised how selfish she was being.

And despite how much she loved the Doctor for wanting to save her, and how much she really did not want to die; there was always going to be one non-negotiable solution: sooner or later, Buffy was going to have to face the Master, even if it resulted in her death. The world would not survive the Master coming back into power. Still, option three did have its merits. And if worse came to worse, at least she would see her beloved Doctor one last time.

"I like option three." Buffy finally spoke up.

Both Martha and the Doctor looked at her with horror.

"Buffy, you can't be serious." Martha protested.

"As much as I love your sense of humour, Buffy, you cannot be telling me that you're going to go through with it. You will die. Your death is a 'fixed point' in time." The Doctor told her.

Buffy nodded.

"I agree. I vote for 'not dying' as well. But let's face it, Doctor. I don't wanna die, but I'm still the Slayer; this is something I need to do, I can't be selfish." She cupped the Doctor's anguished face. "Plus, you're forgetting one thing. We've been through and seen worse since we've first met. If we work together, there's still a chance I might live. Did you think about that?" Buffy whispered.

The Doctor still looked unconvinced, but Martha could see the possibility as well.

"She's right, Doctor." He didn't want to hear it, and he stormed off. "Doctor, wait!" He spun on her, his eyes flashing in anger.

"No! I will not let her die, Martha! Do not tell me to just watch her die!" He snarled.

Martha strode up to him, defiantly.

"So don't. Do what you do best, Doctor. We'll be the distraction, and give Buffy the time to get rid of this Master bloke once and for all. Stop immediately thinking the worst."

"He can't." They looked over at Buffy who during the Doctor's rant to Martha, had gotten to her feet and walked towards the TARDIS doors. The Doctor's fury vanished and was replaced with utter terror. "It's one of his fatal flaws." Buffy joked and turned for the door.

"Buffy, don't…" Buffy stiffened when the Doctor's hand trapped hers underneath the handle, stopping her from pulling it open. _God, you're fast…_ "Please, don't do it." He pleaded into her hair, as he wrapped both arms around her waist and held on tight. She turned to him and stepped up on tiptoes to whisper into his ear.

"Then make it count. Meet me outside of the school when it's time. The TARDIS will be able to know." Buffy stepped back, and smiled at him. "It will be alright, Doctor. I know it will." Then she stepped out. "I'll see you soon." Then she was gone, and the Doctor stared disbelievingly at the closed door in front of him. Then his face hardened with a determination and he immediately turned and ran back up the mesh metal gangplank and keyed in the coordinates.

"Where are we going?" Martha asked frantically. The Doctor ignored her, his mind focused completely on the young woman who was his everything.

He glared furiously at the TARDIS console screen.

"You take me to her, NOW!" He demanded, as he threw the handbrake switch. Almost immediately, the TARDIS was off. And just as quickly it landed. "Martha, come on!" He ordered almost harshly, and Martha almost felt sorry for the Master … almost.

* * *

The next morning, Buffy woke up on what she desperately hoped was not her final day on this Earth. It was a Saturday; plenty of time for her to make her plans. For example: what was she going to wear? Then her eyes zeroed in on the beautiful white dress that her mother had brought her for the dance. _That'll work…_ She thought. It wasn't exactly a fitting combat outfit for whatever would come, but Buffy planned to go out in style. Buffy got out of bed and strolled over to her closet, pulling down the dress from the coat hanger and held it up against herself. She posed before her full length mirror, looking side to side and indulging in a fantasy of what she could do in this dress if she had the time and a future in which to fulfil it.

"Nothing is going to stop me from living my life. I'm going to make sure of it." She vowed.

Buffy decided to spend the remaining hours she still might have pampering herself and mentally preparing herself for the battle ahead. So she drew herself a bath and added her favourite scent and enjoyed a long soak. After she had finally gotten out, it was nearly sunset and she had dressed in her prom dress, Joyce came into her room looking frantic.

"Buffy?! There's something on the news. Willow."

Buffy's eyes widened and she immediately threw on Angel's leather jacket, grabbed her crossbow and immediately set off for her best friend's house. Willow's parents were rarely home, and the bookish redhead was used to taking care of herself; so Buffy simply let herself in and made a beeline for Willow's bedroom. She found her friend sitting on her bed, hugging her knees. She had been crying, and Buffy wasn't surprised. The news had reported that several Sunnydale High School students, all members of the Audio-Visual club and Willow's friends (and Cordelia's boyfriend) had been found murdered in the Audio-Visual classroom. Both Willow and Cordelia had been the ones that had found the bodies and sounded the alarm. Buffy didn't need to ask how the boys had been killed. Reports had stated that each body was completely exsanguinated and had very distinctive bite marks on their necks.

"Willow?" Buffy knocked at Willow's bedroom door and the redhead looked up at her. Buffy took that as an invitation to come in and the Slayer immediately sat on the bed in front of Willow, ready to listen.

"I've seen so much. I thought I could take anything. But, Buffy, this … this was different." Buffy knew better than to tell Willow that what she had just seen was nothing compared to the whole new world in the stars just waiting to be explored, of which all sorts of danger was involved.

Buffy smiled sympathetically.

"I'll be alright." She promised. Willow shook her head.

"I'm trying to think how to say it … to explain it so you understand." Willow insisted, but Buffy shook her head.

"It doesn't matter as long as you're okay." Buffy insisted. Willow frowned.

"But I'm not okay. I knew those guys. I go to that room every day. And when I walked in there, it… it wasn't our world anymore. They made it theirs. And they had fun." A stray tears slides down her cheek as she looks at Buffy with wide soulful eyes. "What are we going to do?" Buffy knew that she had made the right decision. She just hoped that the Doctor was going to show up.

She couldn't do this without him.

Buffy stood up from the bed and wondered to the bedroom door.

"What we have to." She turns and looks at Willow, seriously. "Promise me you'll stay in tonight, okay?" Willow nods, and Buffy starts to go.

Willow stops her at the last minute.

"Buffy?" She stops and turns back. "I like your dress." Buffy looks down at it and smiles weakly, then looks back up.

"Take care." She leaves and Willow looks down sadly and stays on her bed.

* * *

 **~FAST FORWARD TO AFTER BUFFY'S DEATH DURING THE PROLOGUE~**

Martha makes her way through the tunnel, trying to find the vampire the Doctor had sensed. Suddenly she freezes when she hears two very familiar voices.

"What was that?" It was Xander.

"It's too late. He's gone up." Angel replied frantically.

Martha's heart stopped.

If the Master had already gone up to the surface, then it meant that … _No! Buffy!_ Martha turns to go back where she came from, but she heard both Xander and Angel heading in her direction. She stepped out to meet them.

"Hey! Over here. We need your help!" Martha called, frantically. Both Xander and Angel come around the corner and sees Martha, looking scared and worried. Xander looks at Martha with confusion.

"Who are you?" He demands, but Angel interrupts.

"Never mind about that. Which way did you come from?" Angel asked Martha, having recognised her from the Library where Buffy had first learned about her impending death.

"I don't remember, I had a hard time just getting this far." Martha sounded frustrated. Angel looked sympathetic.

"Fine, just follow me." Then all three of them break into a run for the Master's lair.

Martha just prayed that the Doctor was still there with Buffy, and not about to go and do something reckless. Angel gets there first, and looks around. He spots the Doctor holding Buffy's lifeless body in his arms and crying in anguish. He scrambles down towards him, and tries to take Buffy from him but the Doctor snaps his head up and glares at him territorially.

"You get the hell away from her!" He growls, just as Xander and Martha reaches the lair's entrance. Xander stops and stares at the face-off between the Doctor and Angel, but Martha immediately rushes at her friends.

"Oh, my God! Buffy!" She reaches the Doctor's side and crouches beside them. "Doctor, please tell me she's not…" But the Doctor couldn't meet her eyes. "We've got to do something!" Martha takes Buffy from the Doctor and lays her down on the ground, listening for her breathing. "Why is she all wet?" She demanded, and then noticed the pool of water behind Angel and cursed. "Never mind."

"Buffy's not dead." Xander stated with an equal determination as Martha.

"She's not breathing." Angel stated dully, apparently already admitting defeat.

"Not if she just drowned. There's still a chance she can be revived!" Martha seized Xander by the wrist and pull him down beside her. "I need your help." Xander looked at her with disbelief.

"What can you do?" He demanded.

"I'm a Doctor. I'm going to perform CPR! And I need you to assist Buffy's breathing." Martha stated impatiently. Immediately, Xander takes off his jacket and lays it over Buffy and kneels down by her face. "Quickly! Two breaths." Xander puts his mouth over Buffy's and blows into her lungs. He stops and Martha begins to pump her chest. While this is happening, the Doctor had gotten to his feet and walked towards the cave entrance.

Angel immediately attempts to stop him.

"Where are you going?" He demands, but the Doctor grabs him by the throat and slams him up against the cave wall.

"Get out of my way." The Doctor orders, angrily. Angel glares down at him, thankful that he couldn't breathe, because the Doctor was squeezing his neck very tightly in his anger.

"You fool. Killing yourself won't bring Buffy back!" The Doctor releases Angel and immediately storms off through the tunnels after the Master.

"C'mon. C'mon!" Xander mutters desperately.

"Buffy breathe! Please, the Doctor needs you!" Martha begs, causing Xander to look at her in shock. Before Martha indicates for him to start breathing for Buffy again as she continues to pump her chest.

"C'mon! Breathe! Breathe!" Angel returns to their side, looking down in sorrow. After another moment Martha stops pumping, and all three of them believed Buffy was beyond hope. That is until a second later, Buffy opens her eyes and draws breath. She lies still for a moment as she looks around with her eyes, looking bewildered.

"Buffy!" Both Xander and Martha cry out in shock and relief, as Buffy turns her head to the side and coughs out water. Xander and Angel look at each other and smile, while Martha puts Buffy into the recovery position, stroking her forehead. She looks up at her, then at Xander, surprised to see him.

"Buffy." Xander greets her.

"Xander?"

"Welcome back." Martha is relieved, and looks around for the Doctor to give him the good news. He wasn't there. She looks at Angel, questioningly.

He refuses to look at her.

* * *

Meanwhile on the roof of the Library, the Master opens the roof access door and walks out. He looks at the view around him of the town at night and smiled. He exhaled, walking to the edge of the roof and holds his arms out as he surveys the scene.

"My world! Oh, my beautiful world!" He marvelled.

"Take a good look at it, because it's gonna be the last thing you'll ever see!" The Master turns and sees the Doctor standing there, looking pissed.

* * *

Back in the Master's lair, Buffy is helped to her feet by Xander and Martha.

"Easy. Easy." Xander cautions Buffy, as both he and Martha made sure that the revived Slayer was steady on her feet. Her long blonde hair was now wet and ratty down her back and her white dress had a few drops of her blood dotted randomly on her shoulder straps.

Buffy looks around in confusion.

"The Master?" She asks.

"He's gone up." Angel responds. Buffy's eyes widen as she looks around for somebody who wasn't there that should've been the first face she had seen when she woke up.

"Where's the Doctor?" She asked frantically. Martha looked equally concerned, considering she was busy trying to bring Buffy back to life. Xander shrugged. However, Angel was avoiding Buffy's eyes. The Slayer frowned.

"You know don't you?" She demanded. Buffy broke away from Martha and Xander's helping hands and approached Angel threateningly. "Where. Is. He?"

"He went to deal with the Master. He thinks you're dead." Angel reluctantly revealed. Buffy immediately turned to go, but Xander stops her.

"No, Buffy. You're still weak." Martha agreed. To let Buffy go, would be against her training as a doctor.

"He's right. You've only just regained consciousness." But Buffy grinned.

"No. No, I feel strong. I feel different." She turns to the three of them. "Let's go!" And all three of them headed for the entrance. Once outside, Buffy marches determinedly towards the school with Martha, Xander and Angel close behind.

"So, how do you know where's the Master's going?" Xander asked curiously.

"I know." Buffy replied. "I also know, that the Doctor will go wherever the Master is. He will be out for blood." Martha bit her bottom lip.

"That's what worries me." Xander was confused.

"Who is this Doctor?" He asked.

"You don't want to know." Angel replied darkly, earning twin glares from both Buffy and Martha. That only fuelled Xander's curiosity.

"How do you know the Doctor is with the Master?" Martha asked.

"That's where I'd go if I was in his position." Buffy replied. Suddenly, a vampire tries to block their way into the school. If that wasn't an indication that they were on the right track, then nothing was. Buffy smirked. "Oh, look, a bad guy." She punches him on her way by, and he falls flat on his back. They come up to the stairs leading to the roof, and Buffy comes around the corner in the hall.

"Okay, you two wait here, keep the rest of the vampires off me." She tells Xander and Angel.

"Right." Xander nodded. Buffy turns to Angel, all business.

"Angel, better put on your game face." He does so, shocking Martha.

Buffy reaches for her friend's hand.

"I'm ready." Buffy is determined to not only end this once and for all, but to also rescue the Doctor from dying needlessly. Neither she nor Martha were ready to stop going on adventures with him. And Martha needed to return to her timeline eventually.

"One way or another, this won't take long." Buffy vowed. "Come with me, Martha. You need to stop the Doctor from interfering." Buffy told her, and Martha nodded vehemently. With one final look at both Xander and Angel once more, she and Martha heads up to the roof.

* * *

The Master turns to look at the Doctor, feeling a sense of accomplishment that he had caused the amount of suffering in this alien's eyes. He had sensed an enormous attachment between the Slayer and the Doctor, and saw her death as his one chance to get revenge against the Doctor for all the personal wrongs he had committed against him.

"What do you think you will accomplish here, Doctor?" The Master asked, with genuine curiosity.

The Doctor bared his teeth.

"You just killed the woman I love, Heinrich. If it's the very last thing I ever do, I will put an end to your miserable existence." He vowed.

The Master tsked.

"Oh, come now Doctor. There are other girls out there for you. Why waste all of your time on the Slayer of all people?" The Master walked over to the skylight and claps his hands idly as he watches the mayhem unfolding down below. "Yes. Come forth, my child. Come into my world."

Buffy made her entrance.

"I don't think it's yours just yet." She stated, earning the shocked glances from both the Master and the Doctor. The latter nearly beside himself with relief. "And to answer your last question. He 'wastes' his time on me, because he understands what I have to do every single day of my life. He shares the same burden as I do. He does it, because he loves me. As I love him." Buffy turns towards the Doctor and smiles lovingly. Martha sidles up to the Doctor and watches.

The Master is astonished.

"You're dead!" Buffy swivels her head back to look at him, and frowns.

"I may be dead, but I'm still pretty." She retorts, then smiles condescendingly. "Which is more than I can say for you." The Master was outraged.

"You were destined to die! It was written!" He raged.

Buffy shrugs.

"What can I say? I flunked the written." Buffy stated, earning an approving smirk from the Doctor who stood behind her a fair distance away. This was a fight Buffy needed to finish herself.

"And time can be rewritten." The Doctor spoke up. The Master growls and reaches out his arm out to try and hypnotise Buffy again.

"Come here!" He orders. Buffy slowly approaches the Master, apparently hypnotised. The Doctor and Martha react with alarm. The Master grabs Buffy by the throat again. "Did you really think you could best me here when you couldn't below?" He lets go of her neck as the Doctor growled and advanced, but Martha holds him back against her better judgement.

However, Buffy blinks.

"You've got fruit punch mouth." She states. The Master goes blank faced.

"What?" Buffy swings a wide hard punch to his mouth, and he falls down. Buffy glowers at him, unimpressed.

"Save the hypnosis crap for the tourists." She tells him. As the Master gets up, she does a swinging roundhouse kick that connects squarely with his face. He swipes at her and she jerks back, but he manages to slice her with his fingernails across her upper right chest.

It draws blood.

"Buffy!" Martha frets, while the Doctor watches anxiously. Buffy punches him again, but the Master blocks her and punches her in the face, sending her flying backwards into the wall behind her.

* * *

At the bottom of the staircase leading to the roof, two vampires attack Angel and Xander. Angel fights one while the other jumps on Xander's back. Xander holds up his cross to her and she hisses and jumps off.

Angel stakes the one he's fighting and Xander punches out the other.

* * *

The Master is ready to resume fighting and turns his attention towards the Doctor and Martha, intending on involving them in the fight as well. The Doctor stands protectively in front of a terrified, but brave looking Martha, as Buffy recovers and launches herself into a front tuck over his head and lands between him and the skylight; trying to protect them. She kicks him in the side with a side snap kick, but he quickly turns around and grabs her by the neck again.

"Where are your jibes now?" The Master taunts her. Buffy looks behind her and sees the upended table through the skylight. In particular, a sharp spike pointing up. She laughs in triumph causing the Master to frown. "You laugh when my Hell is on Earth?" Buffy's jaw sets in a determined fashion.

"You're that amped about Hell…" Buffy grabs him by the neck. "Go there!" She lifts him up and flips him over herself and through the skylight. He falls down and is impaled on the table. He slowly turns to ash until only his skeleton is left. Buffy watches from above; a grim expression on her face, as the Doctor and Martha approaches and watches too. Martha's eyes are wide with horror, while the Doctor shares a look of disgust as he wraps a protective arm around Buffy's shoulders.

Giles gets to his feet as the Hellmouth creature that had been stirring up trouble during Buffy's battle with the Master quickly disappears back into the floor. All the vampires are gone. Buffy turns slowly to face the Doctor and is immediately crushed to his chest. Neither she nor the Doctor wanted to let each other go; not after Buffy had just come back to life. Martha maintains a respectful distance away from the couple just as Xander and Angel burst through the doors leading to the roof and take in the sight. Xander's expression instantly darkens when he sees Buffy hugging a virtual stranger to her so tightly she could probably break a rib, and Angel avoids eye contact, having already expressed his disapproval earlier.

Xander turns to Martha.

"Everything okay?" Martha nods, a bittersweet smile on her face as she takes in the happiness of her friends.

"More than." She agrees. Xander couldn't help it, he needed to know what this man's relationship to Buffy was.

"Who is he?" He demands to Martha, who glares at him; realising that he was jealous.

"What's it to you, exactly?" She retorts. However, the Doctor and Buffy had broken their embrace and had overheard Xander's question.

"I'm the Doctor. Nice to meet you." He frowned at Xander's forceful tone. Xander's eyes widened in understanding when he remembered hearing his name back in the Master's lair, and realised why Buffy had refused his offer to be her date to the Spring Fling.

* * *

By the time Buffy, the Doctor, Martha, Xander and Angel have gotten to the Library, the junk that had been pushed up against the doors had been cleared away, allowing them to enter. Everyone walks over the Master's bones.

"The vampires?" Giles inquires, urgently.

"Gone." Cordelia responds.

"The Master?" Angel asks, quietly. He was seething over the confirmation of Buffy's relationship with the Doctor.

"Dead." Giles confirms. "And the Hellmouth is closed." Then he remembers something crucial: Buffy. "Buffy?" He glances over at the Slayer, who was standing quietly near the table where the Master's bones lay; holding the Doctor's hand tightly in her own.

She had a very haunted expression on her face.

"Oh, sorry. It's just been a really weird day."

Buffy's reply was an understatement.

While she _had_ technically died, she had been brought back to life; and that to Buffy was good enough for her. It meant that she was able to resume life, albeit still with her Slayer burdens. It also meant that she was also able to continue traveling with the Doctor, and she had no intention of giving that up. She squeezed his hand, earning a squeeze back in response and a warm smile from the Doctor.

"Yeah! Buffy died and everything!" Xander reported, wanting to change the subject away from the fact that he had never had a chance with Buffy to begin with. Bright side: apparently neither did Angel. Downside: he didn't entirely trust the Doctor.

"Wow! Harsh." Willow commented.

She was also gazing curiously at Buffy and the Doctor; but unlike Xander, she was happy that her best friend looked as happy as she did. Giles smiled at Buffy, overjoyed that she was okay.

"I should've known that wouldn't stop you." Buffy smiles up at him again. Ms Calendar approaches him.

"Well, what do we do now?"

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd like to get out of this place. I don't like the Library very much anymore." Giles admitted, despite the fact that it was his job.

Martha grinned.

"I second that!" Xander sidled up next to Martha.

"Hey! I hear there's a dance at the Bronze tonight. Could be fun." He looked pointedly at Martha, who looks uncomfortable. Cordelia grins.

"Yeah!" Willow glances at Buffy, who is barely paying attention.

"Buffy?" The Slayer finally looks away from the Master and smiles softly.

"Sure! We saved the world. I say we party!" She glances down at her slightly damaged white dress and shrugs. "I mean, I got all pretty." The Doctor looks a little unsure, until Buffy tugs on his arm grabbing his attention as everyone else starts to file out. "Hey, you still owe me a proper dance … Mister Smith." She stated mischievously.

The Doctor shrugs, but smiles warmly at her.

"Oh well, if I must." He teases, and Buffy leads the way.

"What about him?" Ms Calendar indicates to the Master. Buffy and the Doctor immediately go stony-faced.

"He's not going anywhere." Buffy reassures them. "Loser."

They all start to go and chat amongst themselves. Angel had already left, presumably licking his wounds over losing Buffy. The Slayer trails behind them, leaving the Doctor and Martha (who had managed to shake off Xander) to hasten her along.

"By the way, Buffy. I really like your dress." The Doctor comments.

Buffy gives him a crooked smile.

"Yeah, yeah. It's a big hit with everyone." And she leans in and kisses his cheek as both of them lead her away.

* * *

 **A/N: End of chapter! Next one takes a trip to the end of the Universe, and Buffy deals with her PTSD involving the Master during this trip. We also meet Captain Jack Harkness once again. Please review people! Until then. :D**


	16. At The End Of The Universe

**I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson.** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ **© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions. Cheers xx**

* * *

 **AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE**

" _At first sight I felt the energy of sun rays.  
I saw the life inside your eyes." __**~Rhianna: 'Diamonds' (Unapologetic [2012])**_

* * *

Buffy spent the last few hours dancing with both her friends and the Doctor at the Bronze; and despite his obvious awkwardness, the Doctor was surprisingly a good dancer. He had even put his alter ego John Smith to shame. There was a moment when the Doctor decided to take a breather from dancing and walked over to have a conversation with Giles and Ms Calendar over tea (and wine in Ms Calendar's case). Both Willow and Xander seized the opportunity to interrogate Buffy about him.

"Alright, Buff; spill. Who exactly is that guy?" Xander demanded.

Martha had given in and decided to put the dejected boy out of his misery and danced with him. At the moment, she had retreated to the restroom; so Buffy had no back up to help her prove the claim she was about to admit to her best friends. Willow scowled disapprovingly at Xander, and elbowed him the ribs.

"Xander!"

"What? I just find it a little suspicious that he had just randomly showed up out of nowhere. I also want to know why Buffy was also acting all 'loved-up' around him." Xander complained.

Buffy gave him an annoyed scowl.

"I'm acting all 'loved-up' around _the Doctor_ , because he is my boyfriend." Buffy stated bluntly, ripping off the metaphorical band-aid. And judging by the stunned expression on Xander's face, Buffy had chosen well.

"But that's just so wrong on so many levels!" Xander blurted out. Even Willow looked a bit taken aback.

"He looks like he's in his thirties." Willow added. Buffy struggled to hide the smirk on her face as she sipped from her punch.

"You're not even close."

"He's not another vampire is he?" Willow looked worried. Buffy shook her head.

"No, he's not. But he's not human either." Buffy hinted.

"Great! He's a demon." Xander wrongfully guessed. Buffy eyed him with irritation.

"Okay, you really need to calm down, because you're starting to bug me."

Willow looked at Buffy with worry.

"Then tell us, Buffy, what is the Doctor?" Buffy swallowed her mouthful and gestured for them both to follow her, away from potential eavesdroppers. The Doctor frowned at her worriedly from across the room, but Buffy waved away his concerns and pointed to the catwalk above their heads. He relaxed and nodded, before turning back to the conversation with Giles and Ms Calendar.

"See this is where I need you to have an open mind." Buffy stressed to them both.

Xander gave Buffy a look.

"We live on the Hellmouth. I think we can handle it." Xander stated, impatiently. Buffy sighed.

"Okay. The Doctor is an alien from another planet. He's actually about 900-years-old." Both Willow and Xander were speechless. That made Buffy nervous. "Please say something." She begged. Xander pointed down at the Doctor, looking sceptical.

"He's an alien?"

"But he looks so human!" Willow stated. Buffy laughed slightly.

"Actually to him, we look Time Lord. They came first."

"Time Lord?"

"That's the species of alien he is." Buffy explained. "And from what he's told Martha and me, he's the last of the Time Lords." Xander gave Buffy a slightly scared look.

"Is Martha an alien?"

"No, she's human. And from about 10 years from now." Willow's eyes nearly fell out of her head.

"Martha's from the future?" She sounded almost excited. "Time travel actually exists?" Buffy smiled at her bookish friend's excitement.

"Yeah, it exists. I've been to the future and the past, and even to another planet and met all sorts of aliens." That was a sure sign to Buffy that Willow had already accepted and moved on from the weirdness. Xander on the other hand, still looked a little sceptical.

"Prove it."

Willow stared at Xander with shock.

"Xander…"

"No, I mean it. Prove it to me that the Doctor is who you say he is." Xander demanded.

Willow realised that Xander did have a point; although she didn't approve of the way he requested the proof. Buffy hesitated, and glanced down at the Doctor and at Martha who had just returned from the restroom and was looking around for them.

"Fine." She turned and hurried back down the stairs leading to the catwalk and walked up to Martha. "I need your help." Martha was instantly alert.

"Are you alright?" Martha asked, immediately scanning the Bronze for the danger, but Buffy smiled at her reassuringly.

"I'm fine. It's just Willow and Xander want proof that the Doctor is an alien." Martha scowled at her.

"You told them?" Buffy frowned back at Martha.

"It was either that, or lose the only friends I've got here in Sunnydale. Besides, I trust that they won't tell anyone."

"Well, if you trust them. Then I trust them." Buffy turned and saw a slightly disappointed Doctor standing behind her. Buffy threw him a slightly annoyed look at him.

"You're worse than Angel when you do that." She muttered.

"Yeah, thanks for that." The Doctor retorted, looking less than flattered by the comparison. He glanced over at Xander and Willow who were observing them from the staircase; Xander with suspicion and mistrust, Willow with curiosity and a hint of excitement. "Well, I think it's time we left anyway. Might as well, prove something to a couple of sceptics in the process." The Doctor stated, before taking Buffy's hand in his and leading the way to the main entrance. The Doctor was stopped by Xander who was scowling at him. "I'd lose the glare, mate." He warned the teenager, using a pleasant tone.

"Or what?" Xander challenged him.

"Or the wind might change and your face will stay like that." The Doctor stated before brushing past him. "Stranger things have happened…" He trailed off, leading Buffy and Martha to the entrance. Willow struggled to hide the snigger she had when she saw the surprised expression on Xander's face. "Are you coming?" The Doctor called out to them.

They exchanged looks before shrugging and rushing to catch up the three of them.

* * *

Willow and Xander had to jog to keep up with the briskly walking Doctor and his two companions as they made their way down a nearby alley.

"Now, are you two ready for what you're about to see?" The Doctor inquired to the two nervous and slightly intrigued teenagers.

"What do you mean?" Willow asked, brushing her red hair behind her ear, then gasped when she realised that they had stopped before a large blue box with the words 'POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX' stencilled over the top of the double doors. The Doctor was grinning from ear to ear, and both Buffy and Martha rolled their eyes at him fondly. Xander wasn't impressed.

"Yeah, so? It's a big, blue box. What's so special about it?"

"It's called the TARDIS." The Doctor explained proudly. "Time And Relative Dimension In Space.' It's my spaceship."

"It's a Blue Box." Xander insisted, stubbornly. Buffy scowled at Xander in annoyance.

"Xander, stop being a jerk." Willow said before walking up to the TARDIS and laying a hand on it.

 _"Bless'd be, Little One."_ A warm female's voice spoke inside Willow's head, causing her to jump.

"Who said that?" Willow asked, glancing about in surprise.

"That would be the TARDIS, Willow." The Doctor explained patiently. "She's telepathic."

"She?" Willow was slightly amused.

"Yep. The old girl's been with me since the very beginning when I stole her and took off for the stars."

"That sounds romantic." Willow giggled, and Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well. The TARDIS and the Doctor have a unique bond. It can get slightly creepy every now and then." Buffy explained, making a face.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Martha agreed. The Doctor looked slightly sheepish before clearing his throat and unlocking the door.

"Would you like a look inside?" He asked Willow and Xander. Both looked dubious.

"I don't think we'll fit." Willow stated, glancing at the exterior of the TARDIS with some doubt.

"Are you sure about that?" The Doctor questioned, before taking a step away from the door and gesturing for Willow and Xander to see for themselves. Willow looked at Xander who frowned and cautiously approached. "After you." Xander rolled his eyes and pushed the doors wider, stepping through the threshold.

"Holy shit!" He exclaimed. The Doctor immediately frowned.

"Language!"

Buffy winced, as Willow walked forward and glanced inside. Her mouth fell open in shock.

"Yeah sorry guys, I forgot to mention the Doctor's kinda sensitive with the swearing." Both Willow and Xander immediately walked back outside of the TARDIS and gapped at her in horror.

"That is … wow!" Xander babbled before turning to a smug looking Doctor in wonder. "You really are an alien."

"There's like a whole other dimension in here!" Willow exclaimed.

"Time Lord Science." The Doctor stated. "Bigger on the inside." Willow looked like a kid at Christmas, but Xander still looked a little freaked out.

"This is nothing like the UFO I pictured." The Doctor scoffed.

"Please. That's Roswell's gimmick. Time Lords are little more sophisticated than that. And those aliens gave us a bad rep, I'll have you know." Willow smirked.

"That did not sound at all pompous." The Doctor ignored her completely before he closed the door to the TARDIS and leaned against it.

"So, do you believe Buffy now or do you still need more evidence?" The Doctor questioned with a tiny smirk on his face.

"No, man. I'm a believer. It's just a lot to take in." Xander admitted, still staring at the TARDIS gobsmacked. Willow rolled her eyes and grabbed Xander's arm.

"I better take him home. It was nice to meet you, Doctor. See you later." Willow turned and dragged Xander back down the alley and disappeared around the corner. The Doctor turned back to Buffy and smile brilliantly at her.

"So, where to now?" He asked her, excited. Buffy looked thoughtful.

"Actually, Doctor. I was think I'd like spend some time with my Dad for the summer break. If you don't mind?" The Doctor's face fell.

"Oh." He looked upset, before Buffy realised what he was thinking and huffed impatiently before pulling him into an embrace. The Doctor's arms immediately wrapped around her waist.

"What's with the sad face? I'm not letting you out of my sight." Martha discreetly went into the TARDIS, as Buffy set the Doctor straight. "I just haven't seen my dad for a while, and I promised I'd spend summer vacation with him this year. I want you to come back to me, on the last day of summer break so we can start our adventures all over again. Do you understand?" Buffy explained, and the Doctor sagged in relief.

"Oh, absolutely. Why wouldn't I?"

"Good!" Then she leaned in and kissed him briefly. But before she could pull away entirely, the Doctor followed her; initiating a very different kiss than the ones he had previously given her before. Buffy's head swam, and the butterflies morphed into pterodactyls. "Wow! Where did that come from?" She asked breathlessly.

The Doctor smirked before kissing her nose and releasing her.

"See you August 31st." He called. Before disappearing into the TARDIS and Buffy watched the machine dematerialise before sighing and turning to head home. She had a lot of packing to do before her dad came to pick her up.

Meanwhile, seconds into their newest adventure; the Doctor and Martha were sent back to 1969 by an Angel statue of the deadly sort…

* * *

 **~AUGUST 31** **ST** **, 1997~**

Three months passed by quickly, and Buffy sat impatiently in the Lounge Room of the Summers' household. She had just gotten back from Los Angeles and decided to take a walk, before she came across Willow and Xander walking through one of Sunnydale's older cemeteries. Unfortunately, it seemed that all of Sunnydale had a sixth sense that Buffy had returned from her three month holiday; and they chose her best friends to kick off the violence and mayhem that was her calling.

While she had been in Los Angeles, Buffy had felt lost in a funk; the battle against the Master had done more psychological damage than anybody had thought. But instead of dealing with it; Buffy withdrew within herself, choosing not to face her fears or admit that she was scared.

Suddenly, Buffy sat up ramrod straight and an overjoyed expression spread across her face. Buffy got off the couch like it was on fire and ran for the backdoor. The TARDIS opened and the Doctor stepped out, glancing about in the night air. His head jerked to the backdoor and saw a grinning Buffy racing out of it.

"Buffy! Hallo!" He greeted her brightly and was immediately bowled over when Buffy jumped excitedly into his arms in greeting. He landed hard on his back, just as Martha stuck her head out to see what the commotion was all about. Martha giggled, and stepped back inside to give them privacy. "As much as I love the position we're in at the moment, would you please get off me, love?" The Doctor requested smirking suggestively at Buffy. The Slayer's bright grin slowly faded when she realised she was straddling the Doctor and immediately got off him, feeling her face flame out in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry." She stammered and turned away. The Doctor got to his feet and reached out to grab Buffy's arm, pulling her back into his arms.

"I'm not. You obviously missed me, and I certainly missed you." Buffy smiled. "Right! Ready to go?" The Doctor got straight to the point.

Buffy nodded.

"Yeah, two seconds." Buffy told him and both of them headed back inside. Buffy grabbed her duffle bag, and deadlocked the door behind her. Upon entering the TARDIS, the Doctor immediately started dancing around the console.

"Right! Allon-sy!" He flicked a switch and the TARDIS immediately lurches violently sending almost everybody flying. "Sorry, everyone. It's going to be a bit of rough journey for the moment." The Doctor apologised as he twisted a couple of knobs.

"Blimey, where are you taking us, Doctor?" Martha asked, clinging to the side of the console.

"We're making a bit of a pit stop before we go on our adventure." The Doctor pushed some buttons.

"Where exactly?" Buffy asked, clinging to a banister. The TARDIS stops.

"Cardiff." The Doctor replies.

"Cardiff?" Martha sounded appalled. The Doctor races around the console adjust a few knobs.

"What's wrong with Cardiff?" Buffy asked, curiously.

"Nothing is wrong with it." He frowns, thoughtful. "Ah, but the thing about Cardiff, it's built on a rift in time and space, just like California and the San Andreas Fault, but the rift bleeds energy. Every now and then I need to open up the engines, soak up the energy and use it as fuel." He explained.

"In other words, 'pit-stop'." Buffy stated, dryly. The Doctor nodded.

"Exactly. Should only take twenty seconds. The rift's been active."

Martha frowned. "Wait a minute. They had an earthquake in Cardiff a couple of years ago. Was that you?" Buffy found that interesting, hearing what was to happen in the future.

The Doctor nodded.

"A bit of trouble with the Slitheen." He notices the blank, but interested expression on Buffy's face. "A long time ago, actually. I was a different man back then." He explained. The Doctor glances at the scanner. "Finito. All powered up." His cheerful face falters slightly when he sees something on the scanner and immediately sets the time rotor moving.

Suddenly there is a bang, and the TARDIS jerks violently.

"Stop the ride, I want to get off!" Buffy hollers.

"What's going on?" Martha panicked. The Doctor checks the scanner.

"We're accelerating into the future. The year one billion. Five billion. Five trillion. Fifty trillion? What?" Buffy and Martha look at him, stunned. "The year one hundred trillion? That's impossible." He exclaims.

"Why? What happens then?" Martha asks, glancing at Buffy who looks pensive.

"We're going to the end of the Universe."

* * *

Suddenly the TARDIS shudders to a stop. And everyone looks at the Doctor expectantly.

"Well, we've landed." He reports, uneasily.

"So what's out there?" Buffy asks, a little testily. The Doctor hesitated.

"I don't know." Both Martha and Buffy look surprised.

"Say that again? That's rare." Martha commented. The Doctor was still staring at the scanner with dread.

"Not even the Time Lords came this far. We should leave. We should go. We should really, really go." Then he gave an excited grin and runs to the door, followed closely by everyone else. Buffy, followed by Martha were the first ones out of the TARDIS. Buffy notices somebody lying on the ground near where the TARDIS had just landed.

"Woah, did the TARDIS hit someone?" She heads over to the body and Martha's eyes widen in alarm.

"Oh, my God!" She crouches next to the body and searches for a pulse. "Can't get a pulse. Hold on. You've got that medical kit thing." Martha dashes back into TARDIS, and Buffy crouches beside the unidentified man lying on the ground. The Doctor stands not too far away, looking troubled.

"Hello again. Oh, I'm sorry." He mumbles, gaining Buffy's attention. Martha returns with the TARDIS's medical kit.

"Here we go. Get out of the way." Martha barks at the Doctor as she examines her patient, frowning a bit. "It's a bit odd, though. Not very hundred trillion." She observes.

"Isn't that a World War Two coat?" Buffy asks, earning a look from the Doctor who knew for a fact that Buffy and history didn't mix. Buffy shrugged. "I was bored once in L.A, did some reading." The Doctor grunted, looking a little uncomfortable at this man's presence.

"I think he came with us." He explained.

"How do you mean, from Earth?" asks Martha. The Doctor nods.

"Must have been clinging to the outside of the TARDIS all the way through the vortex." He smiles exasperatedly. "That's very him." Buffy looked surprised, and glanced up at him curiously.

"Do you know him, Doctor?" He nodded.

"A friend of mine. Used to travel with me, back in the old days." Martha glanced up at the Doctor sadly, as Buffy stares at the man curiously.

"But he's. I'm sorry, there's no heartbeat. There's nothing. He's dead." Buffy jumps when the man suddenly gasps and grabs her. Martha looks stunned.

"Oh, so much for me." She turns to him, and both Buffy and she help him sit up. "It's alright. Just breathe deep. We've got you." The man focuses on Buffy and Martha, and gives them a charming smile.

"Captain Jack Harkness. And who are you two?" He asks, almost flirtatiously. Buffy raises an eyebrow at him, amused.

"Buffy Summers."

"Martha Jones." Martha giggles, charmed. Jack winks.

"Nice to meet you, Buffy Summers. Martha Jones." The Doctor rolls his eyes.

"Don't start."

"I was only saying hello." Jack protested.

"Yeah, well don't. Not with Buffy, anyway." Buffy and Martha help Jack to his feet. Then both men size each other up.

"Doctor."

"Captain."

"Good to see you." Jack gives the Doctor a tiny smile that betrayed how glad he was to see him again.

"And you. Same as ever." Too bad the Doctor couldn't say the same about him. At least, that was what Buffy observed. Then the Doctor scanned him. "Although, have you had work done?"

Jack snorted. "You can talk."

The Doctor was confused until he realised that he hadn't seen Jack since before he had changed into his current regeneration.

"Oh yes, the face. Regeneration." Everybody was confused, but both Jack and the Doctor ignored them. "How did you know this was me?" He frowned.

"The Police box kind of gives it away." Jack shrugged. "I've been following you for a long time." Then Jack looked upset. "You abandoned me." Buffy's face darkened when she heard this and she moved away. The Doctor noticed this and reached to grab her hand, stopping her.

"Did I? Busy life. Moving on." Jack had noticed the hurt expression on Buffy's face when he had mentioned that the Doctor had just abandoned him once-upon-a-long-time-ago, so did Martha.

"Just got to ask." The Doctor raised an eyebrow, waiting. "The Battle of Canary Wharf. I saw the list of the dead. It said Rose Tyler." The Doctor understood.

"Oh, no! Sorry, she's alive." Jack laughed in relief.

"You're kidding."

"Parallel world, safe and sound. And Mickey, and her mother." The Doctor confirmed.

"Oh, yes!" Jack gave a cheer, and hugs the Doctor; which allowed Buffy the freedom to walk over to Martha. Both girls looked rather dejected at the mere mention of Rose Tyler.

"Good old Rose." Martha mumbled, wrapping an arm around a quiet Buffy's shoulders. Jack gave Buffy a curious look, and approached her and Martha. Buffy frowned at him warily. Jack regaled Buffy and Martha with anecdotes about himself, while the Doctor led the way but was still listening. He was a little concerned about Buffy, and her reaction when Rose had been mentioned.

"So there I was, stranded in the year 200,100; ankle-deep in Dalek dust, and he goes off without me." He points at the Doctor walking in front of them. "But I had this." Jack raises his arm, indicating a leather cuff with a weird technology. Buffy and Martha examined the cuff.

"What is it?" asked Buffy, curiously. Jack grinned, still flirting with Buffy.

"I used to be a Time Agent. It's called a Vortex Manipulator." Jack gestures at the Doctor again. "He's not the only one who can time travel." The Doctor stopped walking and scoffed.

"Oh, excuse me. That is not time travel." He starts walking again. "It's like, I've got a sports car and you've got a time hopper." Buffy snorted with laughter, and Martha smirked.

"Oh ho. Boys and their toys." Jack rolled his eyes.

"Alright, so I bounced. I thought 21st century, the best place to find the Doctor. Except that I got it a little wrong. Arrived in 1869, this thing burnt out. So it was useless."

"Told you." The Doctor stated, smugly. Jack ignored him.

"I had to live through the entire twentieth century waiting for a version of you that would coincide with me." Jack stated.

Buffy's eyes widened.

"But that would make you more than one-hundred years old." Buffy calculated.

"And looking good, don't you think?" He winked at her, making Buffy uncomfortable, not noticing the Doctor scowling at him. "So I went to the time rift, based myself there because I knew you'd come back to refuel. Until finally I get a signal on this detecting you and here we are." Jack concluded. Martha glanced at the Doctor curiously.

"But the thing is, how come you left him behind, Doctor?" She asked. Buffy's ears pricked up with interest.

"I was busy." The Doctor replied, succinctly. Martha didn't like that answer.

"Is that what happens, though, seriously?" Buffy paled. "Do you just get bored with us one day and disappear?" Martha demands. Jack eyes Buffy off curiously.

"Not if you're blonde." Buffy's face flushes in both embarrassment and anger.

"Oh, she was blonde? What a surprise!" Martha retorts, sarcastically. That causes Buffy to storm off passed the Doctor; who blinks at her in astonishment before registering what Martha had just said. Then he got annoyed.

"You two! We're at the end of the universe, alright? Right at the edge of knowledge itself and you're busy blogging!" Jack and Martha look surprised at the Doctor's outburst, as well as Buffy running off. "Come on!" The Doctor jogs to keep up with Buffy, as Jack turns to Martha, confused.

"What was that all about?" Martha looks a bit guilty.

"Buffy is the Doctor's new girlfriend. I think the fact that Rose was a blonde probably gave her the wrong idea." Martha explained.

Jack looked impressed. "Way to go, Doc!"

* * *

The Doctor finds Buffy looking over the cliff at something. He did not like the hurt expression on her face.

"Buffy, are you alright?" He asks, concerned. Buffy kicks at a pebble near her foot.

"Peachy." She retorts. The Doctor waits for a beat, knowing that she had something more to say. "Are you only with me, because I remind you of Rose?" Buffy asked quietly. The Doctor made a face.

"Hardly. Rose is not the reason I am with you." He replied, sounding slightly insulted. Buffy exhaled.

"So, what Martha said about you getting bored with us and disappearing is not true?"

"No, not you. Not ever." The Doctor reassures her, firmly. Buffy's face hardens.

"So why did you abandon Jack?" The Doctor hesitates.

"It's complicated. But I am never going to abandon you or Martha. I have a bit more sense than that." He tells her. Buffy nods, just as Martha jogs up with Jack and looks down the cliff and sees a high tech construction of some kind. Jack eyes the Doctor and Buffy and smiles when he sees the Doctor tightly holding Buffy's hand in his. He assumed it was supposed to be his way of reassuring her of his loyalty.

"Is that a city?" Martha questioned.

"A city or a hive, or a nest, or a conglomeration. Like it was grown. But look, there." The Doctor points towards some roads, and buildings. "That's like pathways, roads? Must have been some sort of life, long ago." Martha looked concerned.

"What killed it?"

"Time. Just time. Everything's dying now. All the great civilisations have gone. This isn't just night. All the stars have burned up and faded away into nothing." The Doctor tells them. Jack examines the starless sky up above them.

"They must have an atmospheric shell. We should be frozen to death." He states, grimly.

"Well, Martha, Buffy and I maybe. Not so sure about you, Jack." The Doctor points out.

"What about the people? Does no one survive?" Buffy wondered. The Doctor shrugged.

"I suppose we have to hope life will find a way." Something catches Jack's eye somewhere down below. He points.

"Well, he's not doing too bad." Everyone glances down and sees a man running through the city, pursued by a savage looking tribe of humans. The Doctor is immediately alarmed.

"Is it me, or does that look like a hunt?"

Buffy immediately takes off, already in Slayer-mode.

"Come on!" She calls out. The Doctor, Martha and Jack hurry after her. Jack grins from ear to ear.

"Oh, I've missed this!" He yells out excitedly. The Doctor manages to intercept the running man.

"I've got you." But the man isn't comforted.

"They're coming! They're coming!" He exclaims fearfully. Jack pulls out a revolver and aims it at the savage-looking humans.

"No!" Buffy cries out.

"Jack, don't you dare!" The Doctor growls. Jack fires into the air, and the noise stops the tribe in its tracks.

"What the hell are they?" Martha questions. The man turns to her.

"There's more of them. We've got to keep going." He insists. The Doctor grabs the man by the shoulders.

"I've got a ship nearby. It's safe, it's not far. It's over there." He points back to where they came from, and pales when he sees more tribesmen appear on the cliff. "Or maybe not." The man takes control.

"We're close to the silo. If we get to the silo, then we're safe." He explains. The Doctor turns to Buffy, Martha and Jack.

"Silo?"

"Silo." Jack agrees without hesitation.

"Silo for me." Martha puts her hand in the air.

"I vote Silo." Buffy nods, before the Doctor seizes her hand and takes off running along with everyone else. They run as fast their legs could carry them, but the Futurekind – as the man dubbed them – were gaining fast. Eventually they come across the Silo. The man shouts at the armed guards.

"It's the Futurekind! Open the gate!" He pleads frantically. The guards immediately train their guns on the five of them.

"Show me your teeth! Show me your teeth! Show me your teeth!" The Doctor, Buffy, Martha and Jack look extremely confused and very scared. The man bares his teeth at the guards.

"Show him your teeth!" He instructs. _You've gotta be kidding me…_ Buffy thought before she rolled her eyes and grinned like Cheshire cat at the Guard. The others did the same thing. Satisfied, the guard turns to the others. "Human! Let them in! Let them in!" The metal gates are opened and the five of them run through. "Close! Close! Close!" A guard fires his machine gun at the ground in front of the tribe as they get way too close. The leader scowls at the guards.

"Humans. Humani. Make feast." Buffy shields an equally horrified Martha as they both stare at him. The main guard raises his gun at him again.

"Go back to where you came from." The Futurekind don't budge. "I said, go back. Back!" Jack is a little resentful.

"Oh, sure. Don't tell him to put his gun down." He mutters at the Doctor.

"He's not my responsibility!" The Doctor retorts. Jack looks surprisingly flattered.

"And I am? Huh, that makes a change." The leader of the Futurekind glowers at them.

"Kind watch you. Kind hungry." He gestures for the Futurekind to disperse and they leave. The Doctor turns to the lead guard, and claps him on the shoulder gratefully.

"Thanks for that." The guard nods.

"Right. Let's get you inside." The man they had just rescued immediately approaches the lead guard.

"My name's Padra Toc Shafe Cane." He introduces himself. "Tell me. Just tell me, can you take me to Utopia?" The lead guard smiles confidently.

"Oh yes, sir. Yes, I can."

* * *

Once inside, Buffy realised that they were standing in what looked like a makeshift refugee camp. They kind you'd expect to see in old war films or in commercials for third world country campaigns. There were people everywhere, dressed in rags and swaddled in blankets and the like. The Doctor and Padra were trying to negotiate with one of the men in charge, named Atillo. The poor man looked stressed, but determined.

"It looks like a box, a big blue box. I'm sorry, but I really need it back. It's stuck out there." The Doctor explained. Padra interrupts.

"I'm sorry, but my family were heading for the silo. Did they get here? My mother is Kistane Shafe Cane. My brother's name is Beltone." Padra states.

Atillo deals with Padra first.

"The computers are down but you can check the paperwork. Creet!" A little boy with shoulder length curly blonde hair suddenly appears holding a clipboard. "Passenger needs help." Padra goes to him.

"Right. What do you need?" Creet and Padra move to one side, while Atillo addresses the Doctor's problem.

"A blue box, you said?" The Doctor nods.

"Big, tall, wooden. Says Police." He confirms. Atillo nods.

"We're driving out for the last water collection. I'll see what I can do." He tells the Doctor, who smiles gratefully.

"Thank you."

Creet had just finished with Padra and turns to the rest of them.

"Come on!" Martha sidles up to him.

"Sorry, but how old are you?" She asks, slightly disapprovingly. Creet smiles at her politely.

"Old enough to work. This way." He says, wondering off down the corridor. They all notice that people have put pictures of their loved ones on the wall as they sleep on the floor. "Kistane Shafe Cane, Kistane Shafe Cane. Kistane and Beltone Shafe Cane? We're looking for a Kistane and Beltone Shafe Cane." Creet calls out to the crowd, who were eyeing them suspiciously.

"The Shafe Canes, anyone? Kistane from Red Force Five? My name's Padra." Padra attempts to help. No one replies.

"Anyone? Kistane and Beltone Shafe Cane? Anyone know the Shafe Cane Family?" Creet yells. "Anyone called Shafe Cane?" Buffy glances around, saddened.

"It's like a refugee camp."

"Stinking." Jack's comment earns him an affronted glare from a nearby person. Jack flushes in embarrassment. "Oh, sorry. No offense. Not you."

Buffy smirks.

"Don't you see that? The ripe old smell of humans. You survived. Oh, you might have spent a million years evolving into clouds of gas, and another million as downloads, but you always revert to the same basic shape." The Doctor observes, grinning proudly. "The fundamental humans."

Creet continues calling. "Kistane Shafe Cane!"

"End of the universe and here you are. Indomitable! That's the word. Indomitable!" The Doctor declares.

"Is there a Kistane Shafe Cane?" Creet calls out one last time before a woman stands.

"That's me." Padra immediately brightens.

"Mother? Baltone?"

"Oh, my God. Padra!" The woman, Kistane, is relieved to see her son. Buffy and Martha are both warmed by the sight of a family reunited.

"It's not all bad news." Martha muses. A young man stands up in front of Buffy, and she nearly walks right into him.

"Excuse you." She mutters, annoyed. Jack shakes his hand, turning on the charm. Buffy blinks; having not expected that from him.

"Captain Jack Harkness. And who are you?" He asks the man, who smiles back and shakes Jack's hand looking a little bemused. The Doctor rolls his eyes, as Buffy awkwardly side-steps them both and moves to the Doctor's side.

"Stop it. Give us a hand with this. It's half deadlocked. I need you to overwrite the code. Let's find out where we are." The Doctor and Jack open the door, which turns out to be part of the way up a giant rocket silo. Buffy manages to grab the Doctor before he could fall in.

"Doctor!" He smiles at Buffy gratefully.

"Thanks!"

"Don't mention it." Buffy smiles back, and Jack is surprised by Buffy's quick reflexes. Martha sticks her head in and glances about with interest.

"Now that is what I call a rocket." She exclaims. The Doctor studies it curiously.

"They're not refugees, they're passengers." Martha frowns as she remembers something she overheard Padra saying to the main guard.

"He said they were going to Utopia." The Doctor nods.

"The perfect place. Hundred trillion years, it's the same old dream." He turns to Jack, and gestures to a specific part of the rocket. "You recognise those engines?" Jack frowns.

"Nope. Whatever it is, it's not rocket science. But it's hot, though." With some effort, they shut the door again.

"Boiling. But if the universe is falling apart, what does Utopia mean?" The Doctor muses. An excited looking old man approaches them, and turns to Jack.

"The Doctor?" He inquires. The Doctor raises his head, bemused.

"That's me?" The old man beams happily.

"Good! Good! Good! Good! Good! Good! Good! Good! Good! Good!" He babbles, grabbing the Doctor's arm and dragging him away. The Doctor looks back at the others.

"It's good apparently." Buffy, Martha and Jack follow.

* * *

The elderly man leads them to what looks like a very basic laboratory, and almost immediately takes the Doctor to various pieces of equipment straight away. A blue bug-like alien dressed in a white lab coat steps forward to greet Buffy, Martha and Jack.

"Chan-welcome-tho!" She says brightly. The elderly man points towards a complicated looking machine.

"Now, this is the gravitissimal accelerator. It's past its best but it works." He explains to a taken aback Doctor.

"Hello. Who are you?" Martha asks the blue bug alien.

"Chan-Chantho-tho." She replies, politely. The elderly man continues explaining to the Doctor, enthusiastically behind them.

"But we can't get it to harmonise."

Jack strides over to Chantho, and takes her hand.

"Captain Jack Harkness."

"Stop it." The Doctor says automatically. Jack looks a little annoyed.

"Can't I say hello to anyone?" Buffy sniggers, as Chantho giggles at Jack.

"Chan-I do not protest-tho." Jack winks at Chantho.

"Maybe later, Blue." He takes interest in some of the gadgets as Buffy and Martha take his backpack and move off to put somewhere safe for him. "So, what have we got here?" The Doctor puts on his glasses and examines the gadgets all around him, slightly perplexed.

"And all this feeds into the rocket?" He asks the elderly man, who flushes with frustration.

"Yeah, except without a stable footprint, you see. We're unable to achieve escape velocity. If only we could harmonise the five impact patterns and unify them, well, we might yet make it." He glances at the Doctor hopefully. "What do you think, Doctor? Any ideas?" The Doctor hesitates.

"Well, er, basically, sort of, not a clue." He admits, sheepishly. The elderly man's face falls.

"Nothing?"

"I'm not from around these parts. I've never seen a system like it. Sorry." The Doctor admitted regretfully. The elderly man sags in defeat.

"No, no. I'm sorry. It's my fault. There's been so little help." Buffy and Martha have relocated to the corner of the room which contained chairs, a table and a drinks machine. Martha reaches in and pulls out a transparent container. It contains something that was the very last thing Buffy expected to see: a human hand.

"There's something you don't see every day." Buffy quipped, as Martha gawks.

"Oh, my God. You've got a hand?" Both Jack and the Doctor turn towards them and sees the container. "A hand in a jar. A hand in a jar in your bag." The Doctor takes a double look.

"But that, that, that's my hand!" The Doctor is gobsmacked. Jack looks proud of himself.

"I told you I had a Doctor detector." Chantho looks intrigued.

"Chan-is this a tradition amongst your people-tho?" Martha immediately backs away from the container, acting like it was a potentially dangerous type of snake. Buffy just glances between the hand and the Doctor and back again.

"Not on my street. What do you mean, that's your hand? You've got both your hands, I can see them." She demands. The Doctor is nonchalant.

"Long story. I lost my hand Christmas Day, in a swordfight." Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"Swordfight?" He glances up at her, questioningly. "I thought you were opposed to violence and wielding weapons?" The Doctor nodded.

"I am. But that was a special circumstance." He explained.

"Oh?" Then Buffy grinned mischievously, causing the Doctor to look at her warily. "Remind me to ask you for a duel later on." She asks, winking at him coyly. The Doctor rolled his eyes and shook his head, but didn't say no; which Buffy took as a good thing.

Jack smirked.

"I like you." He told Buffy, who grinned.

"What? And you grew back another hand?" Martha stated.

"Er, yeah, yeah, I did. Yeah. Hello."

"Might I ask, what species are you?" The elderly man asked, curiously. The Doctor immediately turned solemn. It wasn't a topic that he enjoyed discussing much.

"Time Lord, last of. Heard of them?" The man looked blank. "Legend or anything? Not even a myth?" Not even a lightbulb moment registered. "Blimey, end of the universe is a bit humbling." The Doctor muttered, a little disappointed.

"Chan-it is said that I am the last of my species too-tho." Chantho stated. The Doctor smiled apologetically at Chantho.

"Sorry, what was your name?" The elderly man introduced her.

"My assistant and good friend, Chantho. A survivor of the Malmooth. This was their planet, Malcassairo, before we took refuge." He explained.

"The city outside; that was yours?" Buffy asked, surprised. Chantho nodded sadly.

"Chan-the conglomeration died-tho." She said.

"Conglomeration. That's what I said." The Doctor crowed, triumphantly. Buffy was stunned by his obliviousness. Jack frowned.

"You're supposed to say sorry." He reminded him. The Doctor immediately looked ashamed.

"Oh, yes. Sorry." Chantho looked pleased.

"Chan-most grateful-tho."

Martha was still stuck on the severed hand bit. Her eyes were fixed upon the pickled hand.

"You grew another hand?" She mumbled. The Doctor chuckled.

"Hello, again." He waves his hand at Martha, grabbing her attention. "It's fine. Look, really, it's me." He offers his hand to her, and she slowly takes it and pumps it up and down, smiling awkwardly.

"All this time and you're still full of surprises." Martha commented, and the Doctor winks at her clicking his tongue.

* * *

 **A/N: Cutting it off here. I'll continue next chapter** **Please review with your thoughts. TTFN xx**


	17. The Skies Are Made Of Diamonds

**I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson.** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ **© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions. Cheers xx**

* * *

 **THE SKIES ARE MADE OF DIAMONDS**

" _Faith has been broken, tears must be cried. Let's do some living after we die."_ _ **~The Sundays: 'Wild Horses' (Blind [1992])**_

* * *

Chantho glanced between Martha and the Doctor as the Time Lord continued to demonstrate how he was still the same alien she knew, but just one that was able to grow back missing limbs at one point in his tenth regeneration. She was amused.

"Chan-you are most unusual-tho." She observed. Buffy snorted from where she was leaning against the wall next to Jack.

"Honey, understatement of the year." Buffy stated. Jack frowned, looking slightly disturbed about something.

"So what about those things outside? The Beastie Boys. What are they?" He asked. Buffy agreed. While she had seen her fair share of the weird and the dangerous, the Futurekind was not something that she had been expecting. She couldn't help but state what they were probably all thinking.

"Don't tell me that's what we're all gonna become."

Their elderly host was impressed.

"Well, God willing, no. But very intuitive, my dear. Most people don't come to that kind of conclusion so quickly." Buffy shrugged.

"I'm not like other girls." She replied. The Doctor looked at her with sympathy; and a little bit of pride.

"No, we call them the Futurekind, which is a myth in itself." The man explained. "Your charming friend has put it quite correctly. They are what is feared we will become … should we not reach Utopia."

"And Utopia is…?" The Doctor pressed.

"Why? Every human knows of Utopia. Where have you been?"

"Bit of a hermit." The Doctor responded, smirking slightly. The man looked incredulous by the Doctor's reply.

"A hermit with friends?" He gestured to Buffy, Martha and Jack.

"Hermits United. We meet up every ten years and swap stories about caves. It's good fun … for a hermit. So, er, Utopia?" The Doctor gestured for him to continue his rather unbelievable explanation of this so-called Utopia. The man crowds around a monitor gesturing for the Doctor to approach. Buffy follows out of curiosity, earning an intrigued look from the man that didn't go unnoticed by the Doctor, who subtly shielded Buffy. While this man appeared harmless; he was nevertheless, an unknown stranger; and both Buffy and the Doctor had seen enough disasters between them both.

"The call came across the stars, over and over again: _'Come to Utopia'._ Originating from that point." He points to a random place on the screen.

"Where is that?" Buffy asked.

"Oh, it's far beyond the Condensate Wilderness, out towards the Wildlands and the Dark Matter reefs, calling us in. The last of the humans scattered across the night." It sounded all too good to be true. And it was probably why he hadn't progressed any further than where he was currently.

"What do you think's out there?" The Doctor questioned. He received a shrug in response.

"We can't know. A colony, a city, some sort of haven? The Science Foundation created the Utopia Project thousands of years ago to preserve mankind, to find a way of surviving beyond the collapse of reality itself. Now perhaps they found it. Perhaps not. But's worth a look, don't you think?" The Doctor actually looked excited.

"Oh, yes." The Doctor then started babbling at a hundred miles an hour, failing to notice their host staring off into space with a troubled expression on his face. But Buffy however did notice.

"Professor? Professor? Professor?" Buffy called out to him causing the man to jerk in response, and his personality changed dramatically.

"I, er, ahem, that's enough talk. There's work to do. Now if you could just leave, thank you." Buffy and Martha exchanged looks. _Sheesh, bipolar much?_ Buffy mused flatly. Even the Doctor noticed, and approached the profession cautiously.

"You alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm busy." He got barked at, and Buffy was taken aback. The Doctor seemed unfazed about the brusque retort.

"Except that rocket's not going to fly, is it? This footprint mechanism thing, it's not working." He pointed out. The professor looked stubbornly persistent."

"We'll find a way." He insisted, desperately. But The Doctor disagreed.

"You're stuck on this planet. And you haven't told them, have you?" The professor fell silent. "That lot out there, they still think they're going to fly." The Doctor stated. The professor frowned, rather than admitting the cold hard facts in front of them.

"Well, it's better to let them live in hope."

This time the Doctor agreed.

"Quite right, too. And I must say, Professor…" He cut himself off, realising that the man had never really introduced himself to them when he first approached the Doctor back in the corridors of the Silo. "I'm sorry, what was it again?"

"Yana." The professor offered.

"Professor Yana. This new science is well beyond me, but all the same, a boost reversal circuit, in any time frame, must be a circuit which reverses the boost." The Doctor gathers up a cord in one hand and his screwdriver in the other. "So, I wonder, what would happen if I did this?" He sonics the end of the cable and pulls. Almost immediately, power surges through the machines surrounding them. Everybody exclaims in delight.

"Chan-it's working-tho!" Chantho beams. Yana glances at the Doctor in astonishment.

"But how did you do that?"

"Oh, we've been chatting away, I forgot to tell you." The Doctor grins triumphantly at him. "I'm brilliant."

* * *

There was no time left to lose.

When it was clear that power had been restored to the machines that made it necessary for the rocket to begin its journey to this so-called Utopia, the guards began barking out orders. Atillo went into action.

"All passengers prepare for boarding. I repeat, all passengers prepare for immediate boarding." He called, using his voice like a bullhorn. In Yana's laboratory, everybody is busy and every few seconds Atillo's announcement sounded all over the Silo. At the Silo gates, a supply truck drives in through the gates, watched closely by the Futurekind.

The TARDIS is on board.

"All troops report to the silo. I repeat, all troops report to silo." Atillo orders. All guards turn and head for the main entrance.

"Inside! Everyone, inside! Come on, move, move, move." The head guard tells his subordinates. All the passengers, are happy and excited as they file in one after the other into the massive rocket.

"All passengers prepare for immediate boarding. All passengers prepare for immediate boarding." Atillo's voice continues to instruct, as in the corridor Martha, Chantho and Buffy bumped into Creet.

"Excuse me. Hey, what was your name? Creet." Buffy asked.

"That's right, miss." Creet replies, with a bright grin.

"Who are you with, Creet? You got family?" Martha asks, curiously. Creet shakes his head.

"No, miss. There's just me."

Both Martha and Buffy's faces drop a little, unable to imagine the possibility of either of their families not being with them at the end of the universe; especially when there was a possibility that Utopia – if it actually existed – was within their reach. Buffy shrugged.

"Oh, well. Good luck. What do you think it's going to be like in Utopia?" She asked curiously.

"My mum used to say the skies are made of diamonds." Creet's eyes glittered like the precious stones he had just described and Buffy smiled a little while Martha giggled.

"Good for her." Martha approved. "Go on, off you go. Get your seat." Creet waves goodbye and joins the queue of passengers waiting to get on board the rocket. Unbeknownst to them, they had been watched by a suspicious character who ducks out of sight when Buffy glances in her direction; having sensed something funky.

* * *

The Doctor sniffs curiously at one of the wires hooked up to the machines. There was something odd about it. When he realises what it was, he looks at Yana in astonishment.

"Is this?" Yana glances at him distractedly.

"Yes, gluten extract. Binds the neutralino map together." He explains. The Doctor is impressed.

"That's food! You've built this system out of food and string and staples? Professor Yana, you're a genius." Yana gave him a flat look.

"Says the man who made it work."

"Oh, it's easy coming in at the end, but you're stellar." The Doctor insisted. "This is, is magnificent. And I don't often say that because, well, because of me."

Yana considered this.

"Well, even my title is an affectation. There hasn't been such a thing as a university for over a thousand years." He explains. "I've spent my life going from one refugee ship to another."

"If you'd been born in a different time, you'd be revered. I mean it. Throughout the galaxies." The Doctor told him, seriously. Yana frowned dismissively.

"Oh, those, damned galaxies. They had to go and collapse. Some admiration would have been nice. Yes, just a little, just once." He said.

"Well, you've got it now. But that footprint engine thing. You can't activate it from on-board. It's got to be from here." The Doctor looks at Yana in realisation. "You're staying behind."

"With Chantho. She won't leave without me. Simply refuses." Yana admits. The Doctor smiled at him with pride.

"You'd give your life so they could fly." The Doctor looked impressed, a little sad at how final it sounded, but nevertheless impressed. Yana didn't look upset.

"Oh, I think I'm a little too old for Utopia." He stated. "Time I had some sleep." Suddenly, Atillo's voice came over the monitor.

"Professor, tell the Doctor we've found his blue box." The Doctor's eyes widen in relief.

"Oh!" He rushes over to where Jack was standing, staring at the monitor.

"Doctor?" Jack said. The Doctor turns back to Yana, triumphantly grinning from ear to ear.

"Professor, it's a wild stab in the dark, but I may have found you a way out." Yana frowns in curiosity and comes over to look at what this so-called TARDIS looked like. However, the moment his eyes clapped upon the cramped looking Blue Box; he immediately started wincing like he had the onset of a thumping headache.

Neither Jack nor the Doctor appeared to have noticed.

* * *

A short time later, the TARDIS is in the laboratory and the Doctor had immediately darted in to retrieve a power cable out of it. "Extra power. Little bit of a cheat, but who's counting?" The Doctor asks, rhetorically. "Jack, you're in charge of the retro feeds." Martha, Buffy and Chantho walk back into the Laboratory, and both Buffy and Martha brighten when they clap eyes on the TARDIS.

"I am so glad to see that thing." Buffy exclaims.

The three of them walk deeper into the room.

"Chan-Professor, are you alright-tho?"

Buffy glances over and sees Yana sitting by himself, breathing heavily and holding his head. He appeared to be annoyed by Chantho's question.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine. Just get on with it!" Yana snaps, irritably. The Doctor frowns with concern. Jack glances up at Martha and Buffy, and hands them some circuits.

"You two, connect those circuits into the spar, same as that last lot. But quicker!" He requests a little sternly. Buffy mock salutes him as Martha takes the cord and makes a face.

"Ooo, yes sir."

Buffy darts over to where the Doctor was and puts in some circuit boards into the rack near where he was standing, and elbows him to get his attention. When the Doctor looks at her questioningly, she indicates towards Yana in his agitated state and he nods.

"You don't have to keep working. We can handle it." The Doctor reassured him. Yana waves away their concerns.

"It's just a headache. It's just, just noise inside my head, Doctor. Constant noise inside my head." He explains.

Buffy frowns. "What sort of noise?"

"It's the sound of drums. More and more, as though it's getting closer." Yana answered.

"When did it start?" The Doctor inquired. Yana looked touched by their concerns, but also at the same time looked uncomfortable by their fussing.

"Oh, I've had it all my life. Every waking hour. Still, no rest of the wicked." Buffy exchanged disbelieving glances with the Doctor before continuing to put in the circuit boards with Martha and Chantho. Both of them were in the middle of a conversation that ends up with them dissolving into uncontrollable giggles. The Slayer shakes her head in bemusement. _I don't wanna know…_ She thought, amused.

"Professor." Atillo's voice sounds over the monitor and Yana rushes over to it. "Systems are down. Professor, are you getting me?" Atillo's slightly stressed voice calls.

"I'm here! We're ready!" Yana confirms. "Now all you need to do is connect the couplings, then we can launch." Yana then smacks the monitor in frustration. "God sakes! This equipment needs rebooting all the time."

Buffy comes over to him.

"Anything I can do?" She asks politely. Yana smiles warmly at her.

"Yes, if you could. Just press the reboot key every time the picture goes." He instructs her. Buffy nods.

"Not a problem." She confirms, and presses the key to clear the static and Atillo's face reappears on screen.

"Are you still there?" Atillo asks, impatiently. Yana nods.

"Ah, present and correct. Send your man inside." He gives the all clear. "We'll keep the levels down from here." Both Buffy and Yana watch what is going on over the monitor as Atillo's face turns to a red sliding door where both Buffy and Yana could see a man dressed in a radiation suit quickly step inside.

He nods.

"He's inside. And good luck to him." Atillo reports, looking a little grim. Buffy frowned in confusion. Yana turns towards where Jack and Martha were standing before some dials and levers.

"Captain, keep the dials below the red." Yana instructs Jack. The Doctor comes over to the monitor and points at the screen.

"Where is that room?" He asks.

"It's underneath the rocket. Fix the couplings and the footprint can work." Then Yana hesitated mid-explanation. "But the entire chamber is flooded with stet radiation." Clearly, whatever Stet Radiation was was dangerous. However, the Doctor looked blank.

"Stet? Never heard of it." He commented.

"You wouldn't want to. But it's safe enough, if we can hold the radiation back from here." Yana explained. All three of them watched the monitor which showed footage of Atillo's man connecting up equipment. An alarm sounds. Yana's eyes widen. "It's rising. Naught point two. Keep it level!" He yells at Jack, who makes the adjustment.

"Yes, sir." The man over the monitor makes the second connection. Suddenly, they start to go on the fritz.

"Chan-we're losing power-tho!" Chantho reports.

"Radiation's rising!" The Doctor yells, with concern. But it's too late to act.

"We've lost control." Jack states. Yana looks fearful.

"The chamber's going to flood." The Doctor turns towards where Jack and Martha are still maintaining their station.

"Jack, override the vents!"

"Get out!" Atillo suddenly shouts, causing both Buffy, the Doctor and Yana to spin back to the monitor and Buffy's eyes widen in dismay.

"Oh God…" The Doctor places a comforting hand on her shoulder, but even he looks concerned.

"Get out of there! Jate!" Atillo is shouting desperately at the man in the radiation chamber. Jack pulls out two power cables before the Doctor could stop him.

"We can jump start the override." He suggests, and the Doctor reacts.

"Don't! It's going to flare!"

But he had reacted too slow and can only watch as Jack holds the live ends together and is promptly electrocuted. Buffy curses and moves to help him, but the Doctor stops her. Martha darts forward, narrowly avoiding touching the cables.

"Chan-don't touch the cables-tho!" Chantho cautions. Yana looks down at Jack's lifeless body sympathetically.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." The Doctor mutters, despairingly. Buffy throws the Doctor an accusing glare.

"What are you doing?!" She demands. The Doctor leans down to whisper in her ear.

"Just wait." He insists, and Buffy reluctantly listens to him as the Doctor turns to Yana. "The chamber's flooded with radiation, yes?" Buffy watches anxiously as Martha attempts mouth-to-mouth resuscitation with Jack.

"Without the couplings, the engines will never start. It was all for nothing." Yana despairs. The Doctor doesn't look concerned, which raises suspicion in Buffy who looks at him feeling appalled.

"Oh, I don't know." The Doctor said airily, before addressing Martha. "Martha, leave him." Martha glances up at him with the same amount of disgust as Buffy.

"You've got to let me try." She protested. The Doctor rolls his eyes and comes over to her.

"Come on, come on. Just listen to me. Now leave him alone." He whispers to her, as he helps Martha to her feet and pulled her away from Jack. "It strikes me, Professor, you've got a room which no man can enter without dying. Is that correct?" The Doctor inquired casually. 4

Yana, Martha and Buffy are confused.

"Yes?" Yana reluctantly answers.

"Well…"

Jack suddenly gasps as he resurrects, stunning Martha and Buffy. "I think I've got just the man." The Doctor stated, confidently. Buffy looks at her boyfriend incredulously.

"What the hell are we missing here?" She demanded.

"Was somebody kissing me?" Jack asks, confused. The Doctor didn't look fazed by Buffy's question. Instead, he simply grabs her hand and leads her out of the laboratory.

"Jack, follow me!" He calls back to him. Jack looks a little confused, but obeys as Martha and Yana look after them, stunned.

* * *

Buffy fixed both the Doctor and Jack with a calculating stare as they jogged briskly down the corridor towards the control room. There was something both of these men were not fessing up to, and Buffy had a feeling it had something to do with Jack. Twice, she had seen him dead and twice he had mysteriously come back to life.

An explanation was needed pronto.

"Alright, it's share time. Who's gonna be the first to spill?" Buffy requested to the back of their heads. Jack cringed, but the Doctor stubbornly remained mum on the subject. They arrived at the control room.

"It's complicated, Buffy." Jack eventually revealed. Buffy gave him a look.

"My whole life is complicated. Not really an excuse."

"Now's not really a good time, Buffy." The Doctor cut in and all three of them front up to a surprised Atillo. "Lieutenant, get on board the rocket! I promise you're going to fly." The Doctor reassures him.

"But the chamber's flooded." Atillo protests, raising an eyebrow when he notices Jack removing his trench coat.

"Trust me. We've found a way of tripping the system. Run!" The Doctor insisted. Atillo hesitates for a second more before turning and running away. Jack takes off his shirt, revealing a T-shirt underneath.

"What are you taking your clothes off for?" Buffy asks. Jack doesn't reply. "I'm going in." The Doctor nodded.

"Well, by the looks of it, I'd say stet radiation doesn't affect clothing, only flesh." Jack shrugs.

"Well, I look good though." He winks at Buffy, earning an incredulous smile from her before he goes up to the red sliding door and begins to open it, but pauses and glances hesitantly at the Doctor. "How long have you known?" He asks, mysteriously.

The Doctor smiled sadly.

"Ever since I ran away from you. Good luck." He tells Jack before the Captain goes inside the radiation chamber and moves for the coupling to continue connecting things up. Buffy comes up beside the Doctor and both of them peek in through the small viewing window in the sliding door at Jack.

"Should I be worried about you, Buffy?" The Doctor inquired, quietly.

Buffy stiffened.

"Worried about me?" Buffy repeated, turning away from the door and going over to lean against next to the monitor which was giving off static. The Doctor eyed her dubiously.

"You're not yourself and you're a lot quieter than usual."

Buffy immediately shut down as flashes of the Master made a return visit to her already traumatised mind.

"I'm fine." She lied. The Doctor didn't believe her; but now wasn't the time for him to make his girlfriend fess up to what's troubling her.

"Doctor? Buffy? Are you there?" Martha's voice came from the monitor. Buffy immediately hit the reboot key, but Martha's face didn't show up on the monitor.

"Damn, this thing's busted." Buffy grumbled. The Doctor patiently and gently moved Buffy to one side to see if he could fix it. But the radiation was messing around with the picture.

"We're receiving, yeah. He's inside." He confirmed. Buffy walked over to the viewing window.

"And still alive?" Martha sounded surprised.

"And kicking." Buffy confirmed.

"But he should evaporate. What sort of a man is he?" Yana sounded mystified. Buffy didn't blame him. She continued watching Jack pressing buttons and carefully turning a handle to release the coupling, wondering how he wasn't disintegrating into dust.

The Doctor approached the window as well.

"When did you first realise?" The Doctor asked, interestedly. Buffy listened in, knowing that she was about to get answers. Jack grunted underneath the strain of what he was doing.

"Earth, 1892. Got into a fight in Ellis Island. A man shot me through the heart. Then I woke up. Thought it was kind of strange. But then it never stopped." Buffy was confused.

"Not sure I understand."

Jack smiled reassuringly at Buffy.

"I'm getting to it, honey. Just be patient." Buffy nodded. "I fell off a cliff, got trampled by horses, World War One, World War Two, poison, starvation, a stray javelin." Both Buffy and the Doctor winced at that one. "In the end, I got the message. I'm the man who can never die." Buffy's eyes widened. "And all that time, you knew." Jack sounded slightly accusatory. The Doctor had a 'sorry, not sorry' expression on his face.

"That's why I left you behind. It's not easy even just looking at you, Jack, because you're wrong." Buffy frowned at him.

"Well, if that's the case. I'm wrong as well. Don't you agree, Doctor?" The Doctor looked at Buffy, horrified.

"No, I don't." The Doctor protested, then pulled her closer and muttered urgently in her ear. "And we are definitely talking about this later on!" He stated, sternly.

Buffy scowled in defiance.

"Okay, now I'm confused." Jack called out.

"I should be dead right now." Buffy stated, moving out of view from the window. The Doctor looked pained.

"But you're not, so stop it!" The Doctor insisted. Jack couldn't decide if he was amused or concerned about this 'domestic dispute' he was witnessing between the Doctor and this very attractive, but very obviously troubled girl the Doctor had claimed as his girlfriend. It was very odd, but Jack could see the genuine love and deep concern in his friend's ancient brown eyes. "The point is Jack, I'm a Time Lord. It's instinct. It's in my guts. You're a fixed point in time and space. You're a fact. That's never meant to happen." He stated. "Even the TARDIS reacted against you, tried to shake you off. Flew all the way to the end of the universe just to get rid of you." Jack chuckled.

"So what you're saying is that you're, er, prejudiced?" He inquired. The Doctor considered this.

"I never thought of it like that."

"Shame on you." Jack teased. Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Yeah." The Doctor agreed. Jack decided to inquire further.

"Last thing I remember, back when I was mortal, I was facing three Daleks. Death by extermination. And then I came back to life." He got another coupling open and worked on turning the handle.

"What happened?" Buffy asked, genuinely curious.

"My thoughts exactly." Jack agreed.

"Rose." The Doctor replied. Jack immediately looked sad as well as intrigued. How was Rose responsible for his immortality?

"I thought you'd sent her back home?" Jack stated. Buffy eyed the Doctor with concern. Rose always stirred up negative emotions in him.

"She came back. Opened the heart of the TARDIS and absorbed the time vortex itself."

"That sounds bad." Buffy guessed. The Doctor nodded.

"No one's ever meant to have that power." _She sounds a little too attached to you, Doctor…_ Buffy thought, miserably as Jack remembers when he came back to life for the first time. "Everything she did was so human. She brought you back to life but she couldn't control it. She brought you back forever. That's something, I suppose. The final act of the Time War was life."

Buffy smiled softly.

"Do you think she could change me back?" Jack asked hopefully. Buffy turned in time to see the Doctor shake his head no.

"I took the power out of her." He admitted, and Buffy could practically taste Jack's disappointment. "She's gone, Jack." The Doctor said, and Buffy was taken aback a little when he looked directly at her. "She's not just living on a parallel world, she's trapped there. The walls have closed." Buffy looked away, feeling guilty. It was clear that if fate wasn't a cruel, unforgiving prick Rose would still be here with him; and Buffy would just be like any other companion with a much different life. However, it appeared that the Doctor knew exactly what she had been thinking and pulled her to his side, wrapping an arm around her waist. This gesture spoke volumes: Buffy was his life now, and they were in this together for the long haul.

"I'm sorry." Jack said.

"Yeah." The Doctor replied, dully, tightening his grip on Buffy. Jack released another coupling and moved on to the last one.

"I went back to her estate, in the nineties, just once or twice. Watched her growing up. Never said hello. Timelines and all that." Jack told the Doctor who observed him curiously.

"Do you want to die?" Jack avoided the question, uncomfortably.

"Oh, this one's a little stuck."

"Jack?" The Doctor gave him a 'no nonsense' look, and Jack folded.

"I thought I did. I don't know. But this lot. You see them out here surviving, and that's fantastic." The Doctor gave him a flirty smirk. Buffy smiled approvingly at Jack's optimistic words.

"You might be out there, somewhere." The Doctor pointed out.

Jack grinned.

"I could go meet myself."

The Doctor smirked. "Well, the only man you're ever going to be happy with."

Buffy snorted, drawing the Doctor's attention.

"This new regeneration, it's kind of cheeky." Jack observed.

"Yep." Buffy agreed, popping the 'p'. The Doctor raised a surprised eyebrow at her.

* * *

Martha shook her head. She couldn't believe the conversation she had just heard between the Doctor, Buffy and Jack. But it did answer a few questions about Jack and his apparent disregard for his own safety and life.

It appeared it was used to it.

"I never understand half the things he says." Then Martha notices how distressed Yana looked and immediately went over to him looking concerned. "What's wrong?" Chantho came over as well.

"Chan-Professor, what is it-tho?" Yana looked devastated by what he had just heard over the monitor and he had tears in his eyes.

"Time travel. They say there was time travel back in the old days. I never believed." He said, sounding vulnerable. Then looked rather bitter. "But what would I know? Stupid old man. Never could keep time. Always late, always lost." Yana fumbled around in his pocket. "Even this thing never worked." He produced a watch from his waistcoat. Martha froze, feeling an icy shiver going down her back the second her eyes clapped onto the watch.

 _"Martha. Buffy, this watch is me. I'm going to become human…"_

Martha's eyes widened in horror, as she remembered the Doctor using a similar watch; and she prayed she was just being very paranoid. Having said that, she had to make sure…

"Time and time and time again. Always running out on me." Yana continued to rant, oblivious to Martha's panic.

"Can I have a look at that?" She asked cautiously. Yana looked confused at why she wanted to look at his watch.

"Oh, it's only an old relic. Like me." He chuckled light-heartedly. Martha gave him a weak smile.

"Where did you get it?" She asked politely, trying and failing not to raise Yana's suspicions.

"I was found with it." He replied, thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" Martha prodded, but Yana was barely listening to her.

"An orphan in the storm. I was a naked child found on the coast of the Silver Devastation. Abandoned, with only this." He waved the Fob Watch around in the air.

"Have you opened it?" Martha asked hopefully. Yana frowned.

"Why would I? It's broken."

"How do you know it's broken if you've never opened it?" Martha pointed out, slowly reaching out for the watch when Yana gave her his permission to touch the old watch.

"It's stuck. It's old. It's not meant to be. I don't know." He seemed frustrated by Martha's questioning. Martha slowly and carefully flipped the Fob Watch upright and immediately recognises the inscriptions. Her heart stopped. "Does it matter?" Yana was suspicious.

Martha backed away to the door.

She needed to warn the Doctor.

"No, it's nothing. It's… Listen, everything's fine up here. I'm going to see if the Doctor needs me." Martha explained before turning and heading out of the Laboratory door. Then she ran as fast as her feet could carry her.

* * *

Jack finally makes the final connection, and he yells out in triumph.

"Yes!" The Doctor and Buffy immediately pulled open the rolling door so that Jack could get out.

"Get out of there. Come on!" Jack wasted no time, and grabbed Buffy's hand; giving her instructions about what to do next. The Doctor uses the telephone.

"Lieutenant, everyone on board?"

"Ready and waiting." Atillo confirms. The Doctor's face sets with determination.

"Stand by. Two minutes to ignition." He instructs. He hangs up and almost immediately Atillo's voice rings out all around them.

"Ready to launch. Outer doors sealed."

"Countdown commencing. T-minus ninety nine, ninety eight…" The automatic computer continues counting down as Buffy, the Doctor and Jack rush around, flicking switches. Martha runs around the corner almost colliding with Buffy as she went passed.

"Martha? What's wrong?" Buffy asked, concerned about the blind panic on her friend's face. But all Martha could focus on was the Doctor, who barely acknowledged Martha's arrival.

"Ah, nearly there. The footprint, it's a gravity pulse. It stamps down, the rocket shoots up. Bit primitive. It'll take the both of us to keep it stable." The Doctor informs Jack who nods and continues working.

Buffy follows Martha.

"Doctor, it's the Professor. He's got this watch. He's got a fob watch. It's the same as yours. Same writing on it, same everything." Martha tells him. Buffy stopped dead in her tracks and immediately looks stricken. The Doctor looks at Martha hesitantly.

"Don't be ridiculous." He tells her, unamused.

"So he's got the same watch." Jack stated. Martha turned to him, as the Doctor dashed away to flick some more switches.

"Yeah, but it's not a watch. It's this chameleon thing." Martha explained hurriedly. The Doctor took over the translation.

"No, no, no. It's this, this thing, this device. It rewrites biology. Changes a Time Lord into a human." He explains.

Martha agrees.

"And it's the same watch." She insists.

"It can't be." The Doctor denies. An alarm sounds and the Doctor rushes towards it to turn it off. Jack looks excited for the Doctor.

"That means he could be a Time Lord. You might not be the last one." The Doctor glances over at him.

"Jack, keep it level!" He warns him, before focusing on Martha again.

Buffy can't believe what she is hearing. Then her eyes widened when she remembered something very important during one of their previous adventures. It was very possible that Martha was correct in her assumptions. Which meant that if Yana was who she suspected he was, opening the fob watch could be the very worst thing he could possibly do. Buffy immediately turned and started running as fast as her feet could carry her to the Laboratory. She needed to stop Yana from opening that Fob watch at all costs.

The Doctor, Martha and Jack remained oblivious to Buffy's intentions.

"What did he say, Martha? What did he say?" The Doctor asked frantically, scaring Martha and Jack. Martha hesitated.

"He looked at the watch like he could hardly see it. Like that perception filter thing." The Doctor looked horrified.

"What about now? Can he see it now?"

* * *

While all this was happening, and while Buffy ran back to the Laboratory; Yana was examining his watch. He could hear the Doctor's voice inside his head, inhuman laughter, Jack's voice.

"The drums, the drums, the drums. The never ending drumbeat. Open me, you human fool. Open the light and summon me and receive my majesty." A cold, and sinister voice orders Yana.

Chantho looks at Yana worriedly.

"Chan-Yana, won't you please take some rest-tho?" She urges him. Yana pays her no attention.

* * *

The automatic computer continues counting down all around them, and the three of them were still unaware that Buffy was not among them, and heading once again into certain doom.

"If he escaped the Time War then it's the perfect place to hide. The end of the universe." Jack explained to the Doctor who was looking stunned by the mere possibility of another Time Lord living and breathing. Martha suddenly came to the same conclusion as Buffy did seconds before.

"Think of what the Face of Boe said. His dying words." The computer counts down to zero and the Doctor turns the last switch, causing the rocket engines to fire.

As the Doctor remembers:

 _"You are not alone."_

His eyes widen when he comes to the realisation. And Yana in the Laboratory opens the watch and the same golden energy that Latimer back in 1913 had released from the Doctor's fob watch streams into him.

Buffy arrives too late to stop Yana, but witnesses with Chantho, the return of another Time Lord.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, shit! This isn't good. Stay tuned to see what happens next. Please review with your thoughts. Till then.**


	18. Do You Hear What I Hear?

**I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson, and** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ **© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions.**

 **Cheers xx**

* * *

 **DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?**

 _"What's in your head? In your head?" **~Bad Wolves: 'Zombie' (Disobey [2018])**_

* * *

Buffy watched helplessly as the Time Lord essence consumed Yana, and she knew that something worse was about to happen.

"Chan-Professor Yana-tho?" Chantho walked slowly over to her friend, oblivious to the danger. Buffy immediately burst in, surprising Chantho. "Chan-Buffy-tho?" Buffy didn't take her eyes off of this unidentified Time Lord.

"Stay behind me, Chantho." Buffy suggested firmly, pushing the blue bug behind her protectively. Chantho was confused by Buffy's behaviour.

"Chan-But I don't understand-tho." Chantho protested as Buffy firmly grabbed her by the arm and started inching towards the doors; trying to escape. "I need you to trust me on this." The Slayer insisted urgently.

* * *

Back in the control room, the Doctor accessed the telephone again.

"Lieutenant, have you done it? Did you get velocity? Have you done it?" He asked impatiently, desperate to head back to the Laboratory to see if Yana was indeed another Time Lord. "Lieutenant, have you done it?!" He shouted down the line.

"Affirmative. We'll see you in Utopia." Atillo's voice crackled back to him. The Doctor gave a small, triumphant smile.

"Good luck." He wished him, before hanging up and turning. Then his eyes widened in dismay. "Where's Buffy?" Jack and Martha glanced over to where they had last seen her.

"She was just there a second ago." Martha replied.

Then the Doctor cursed and immediately started running for the Laboratory.

* * *

The man formerly known as Yana walks towards a nearby lever and throws it, causing Chantho to react in alarm.

"Chan-but you've locked them in-tho!" She protested. Buffy reacts in horror.

"NO!" Buffy runs down the corridor; only to hear the door slam shut in the distance.

"Get it open! Get it open!" Buffy could hear the Doctor demanding Jack frantically. She returns to the Laboratory, glaring furiously at 'Yana'.

"You open those doors right now, you son-of-a-bitch!" Buffy snarls, desperately. 'Yana' sneers at her.

"Not to worry, my dear. As one door closes, another must open." He declares as he turns off the Silo's defences.

Chantho reacts. "Chan-you must stop-tho. Chan-but you've lowered the defences. The Futurekind will get in-tho." Buffy looks around desperately for a weapon, and spots a gun lying on a nearby table. Chantho looks at Buffy and then at the gun before she nods.

* * *

Outside the Silo, the tribe bursts through the gates and storm the Silo; searching for humans to feast upon. Meanwhile the Doctor and Jack finally get the control room door open and sprint down the corridor towards the Laboratory, with Martha close behind.

* * *

"Professor?" Yana turns towards Buffy and Chantho and his eyes widen when he sees the gun clenched steadily in Buffy's hand, and then at the blonde's furious stare. "This stops now!" Buffy insisted, cocking the gun. Chantho looked tearful.

Yana sneered.

"You don't have the gumption to fire that weapon, girl." Buffy's eyes narrowed and she fired above his head; freaking out the Doctor, Jack and Martha back down the corridor and making them fear the worst. Yana was surprised, and impressed. _This girl could potentially be very useful to me…_ He thought, calculatingly.

"You don't know me, pal. And underestimating me will get you killed." Buffy promised.

Chantho nodded.

"Chan-Professor, I'm so sorry, but we must stop you. You're destroying all our work-tho." Yana then gave a cruel smirk, and bent down to pick up a livewire from the ground. Both Buffy and Chantho stiffened.

"Oh. Now I can say I was provoked." He advanced on them, and Buffy pressed a frightened Chantho more firmly behind her as they both began to back away from the obviously unstable Time Lord. Buffy cocked the gun again.

"You better back off!" She warned. Yana ignored her, focusing upon Chantho.

* * *

The Doctor, Martha and Jack come across another door and they struggle to open it, but when they do they hear the horrifying sounds of the Futurekind advancing fast and they immediately double back to avoid them. The Doctor was freaking out.

 _Buffy, just hold on. I'm coming!_

* * *

Yana's lip curled menacingly.

"Did you never think, all those years standing beside me, to ask about that watch?" He demanded Chantho, angrily. "Never? Did you never once think, not ever, that you could set me free?"

Buffy bristled. "Don't you threaten her!"

Yana ignored Buffy again as Chantho shivered in fear.

"Chan-I'm sorry-tho. Chan-I'm so sorry-tho." She whimpered. Yana snarled in annoyance.

"You, with your chan and your tho, driving me insane." Yana continued.

"You reached that point all on your own, buddy." Buffy scoffed. Chantho clutched Buffy's arm in terror.

"Chan-Professor, please-tho…"

"That is not my name!" Yana snarled. "The Professor was an invention. So perfect a disguise that I forgot who I am." He explained.

Buffy raised the gun.

"Then who the hell are you?" Yana immediately became extremely sinister.

"I am the Master." Buffy immediately went pale and the gun dropped from her grip as she started to hyperventilate.

"No…" Buffy whispered with obvious fear.

Chantho shoved Buffy out of the way, causing the Slayer to collide heavily with a workbench; sacrificing herself just as the Master thrusts the live end of the cable at them. After dealing with her, the Master turns and walks towards Jack's pack; caressing the jar with the Doctor's hand pickled inside it. Suddenly the closed door starts rattling as the Doctor hammers at it, frantically.

"Professor! Professor, let me in! Let me in!" He turns desperately to Jack. "Jack, get the door open now!" The Master eyes the door with disgust as he calmly walks over to the gravitation field navigation system. "Professor! Professor, where are you?! Professor! Professor, are you there!" The Doctor's cries stir Buffy from where she was lying, and she sits up slightly dazed.

"Doctor?" Something warm and wet trickles down Buffy's forehead and she reaches up and touches it. Pulling away, she sees blood and her eyes widen when she realises what had happened and she looks over to see Chantho lying in a heap with the livewire not too far away from where she was lying.

"Please, I need to explain! Whatever you do, don't open that watch!" Buffy hears the Doctor's words, and becomes angry and gets to her feet; spotting the Master over near the gravitation field navigation system.

"Utopia." The Master scoffs. Buffy picks up the nearest heavy object and creeps silently over to him. She could hear Martha outside the Laboratory door.

"They're coming!" She yelled, frantically.

"Professor!" The Doctor tries again. The Master disconnects the power cable from the TARDIS and Buffy lunges, swinging a heavy metal pole at him. But the Master turns and intercepts Buffy, proving that Time Lords are stronger than they looked and traps the injured Slayer in a choke-hold.

"You know, you're a very impressive young woman, my dear." The Master muses, wrenching the pole out of Buffy's grip and tossing it aside.

"Let go of me!" Buffy bucked. The Doctor hears Buffy's voice from behind the door and his adrenaline increases.

"Open the door, please! I'm begging you, Professor. Please, listen to me." He pleads, as Buffy continues struggling with the Master. Chantho, on the brink of death, raises her head and sees the gun lying not too far away from where she was lying and reaches for it shakily.

"Stop struggling, girl!" The Master insists, and Buffy violently twists exposing the Master's back and Chantho with the last of her strength aims and fires at the Master's back, before dying.

The Master jerked with pain, releasing Buffy, who was still unsteady on her feet and she collapses to the ground just as Jack smashes the control panel and the door opens. The Doctor barrelled into the room, as the Master steps back into the TARDIS; carrying the jar and shuts the door on the Doctor. While the Doctor is attempting to get to the Master, Martha crouches beside Chantho and checks her as Buffy grabs the table beside her and struggles to her feet.

"She's dead." Buffy declares sadly, with angry tears in her eyes. Martha looks up at Buffy in anguish, and her eyes widen at the blood on her forehead. She goes over to the Slayer, but Buffy waves Martha off. "I've had worse." She explains as Martha attempts to steady her.

The door starts to rattle again, and Jack struggles with it.

"I broke the lock. Give me a hand!" Martha makes sure Buffy is steady before going over and helping Jack keep the door shut. Buffy turns to look at the Doctor who is standing and staring with wild eyes at the TARDIS which has the Master barricaded inside.

"I'm begging you. Everything's changed!" The Doctor begged. "It's only the two of us! We're the only ones left!" The Master doesn't reply, and the Doctor bangs desperately on the TARDIS. "Just let me in!"

"Doctor?" Buffy calls out to him and he turns to where the voice came from and sees her, examining the cut to her head. She is about to stop him when there is a bright golden glow coming through the TARDIS window and both Buffy and the Doctor watch urgently. The Futurekind attempt to force open the door.

"Doctor! You'd better think of something!" Jack urges frantically. Buffy notices the losing battle Martha and Jack are having with the Futurekind and gets to her feet and rushes over to the door.

"Get out of the way!" Buffy yelled, body slamming Jack out of the way. The Time Agent stared at Buffy in disbelief.

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

Buffy didn't reply as she grabbed the handle of the door and effortlessly slams it shut, holding it securely closed. Jack's mouth dropped open. He certainly wasn't expecting a 5'4 teenage girl with a slim, athletic build and no visible muscles having the ability to hold shut a heavy metal door with a whole tribe of Futurekinds attempting to force their way in.

"What the hell?" He exclaims. Buffy glares up at him.

"Go and help the Doctor!" Martha darts over to him, tugging frantically on his arm.

"Do what she says, Jack!" Jack reluctantly obeys, but both he and Martha notice that despite how much more successful Buffy is at keeping the Futurekind out; the shaking of the door and the strain in Buffy's face reveals that the Slayer can't keep it closed for very long either. Suddenly, the sound of microphone feedback is heard.

"Now then, Doctor." All heads swivel towards the new voice coming from the TARDIS. The Doctor's frown deepens. "Ooh, new voice. Hello, hello." The Master tests out his new voice, grabbing Martha's attention as she frowns. "Hello. Anyway, why don't we stop and have a nice little chat while I tell you all my plans and you can work out a way to stop me, I don't think." The Master babbles.

"Hold on. I know that voice." Martha exclaims with surprise as she stands by Buffy to offer the weakened Slayer some assistance. The Doctor tries again.

"I'm asking you really properly. Just stop! Just think!" He pleads.

"Use my name." The Master orders. The Doctor doesn't hesitate to reply.

"Master." The Doctor's face becomes solemn. "I'm sorry."

"Tough!" The Master responds. Buffy groans under the pressure, forcing Jack and Martha to help her increase the pressure on the door. Martha looks at Buffy with deep concern, as Jack shouts out to the Doctor.

"We can't hold out much longer, Doctor!" The Doctor activates his sonic screwdriver while the Master starts up the time rotor. It goes off with a flash, and the Master immediately sees what the Doctor has done.

"Oh, no you don't!" The flips a couple of levers on the console. It stabilizes the TARDIS. Smirking, the Master addresses the Doctor again. "End of the universe. Have fun. Bye, bye! Oh, and Buffy dear?" The Slayer looks at the TARDIS with anger. "Be seeing you real soon." The Master promises as the TARDIS dematerialises.

The Doctor watches helplessly.

"Doctor, stop him! Help us. They're getting in!" Martha begs. The Doctor snaps out of it and immediately rushes over to his three companions. He grabs Jack's wrist using the sonic screwdriver on Jack's vortex manipulator bracelet. "Hold still! Don't move! Hold it still!" He tells Jack, who is using his whole body weight against the door.

"I'm telling you, it's broken! It hasn't worked for years!" Jack insists. The Doctor shakes his head.

"That's because you didn't have me. Martha, Buffy, grab hold, now!" He yells, and both girls immediately clap their hands on Jack's wrist. Once everyone touches the manipulator, they vanish and reappear in one of London's alleyways. Everybody groans underneath the strain.

"Oh, my head." Martha mutters. The Doctor straightens up, working out the kinks in his back.

"Time travel without a capsule. That's a killer." He groans.

Everybody jumps when they hear the sound of metal banging loudly and spun towards the noise. Buffy appeared to be venting her frustrations on an innocent dumpster. The Doctor looked alarmed and ran towards her, followed closely by Martha and Jack; both looking equally concerned.

"Buffy! Stop, stop!" Martha pleaded, as the Doctor and Jack attempt to restrain the raging Slayer away from the dumpster. However, Buffy manages to break free and took off down the alleyway. But the Doctor manages to catch and restrain her in a bear hug, as Buffy attempts to fight him off. But like the Master before, the Doctor proves once again how strong Time Lords really are and holds on with an iron grip.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Buffy protests. The Doctor shushes her and kisses his girlfriend's temple trying to calm her down.

"It's alright, Buffy. Calm down, sweetheart." He whispers soothingly.

It annoyed him how long it had taken him to finally figure out why Buffy's attitude had shifted so dramatically since the last time he had seen her, and he was ashamed he hadn't figured it out sooner. Buffy eventually gives up struggling and instead clings to the Doctor and succumbs to frightened tears. Her legs give out from underneath her and the Doctor follows her to the ground, still supporting her as she buries her face in his neck. Martha watches them, and Jack attempts to walk over to offer help but Martha stops him.

"What's wrong with Buffy?" Jack asked, concerned.

Martha pulls Jack aside.

"Buffy's traumatised." Martha replied, having realised what had happened at the same time as the Doctor did. Jack looked confused.

"By what?" He asked, as he watched the Doctor scooped Buffy up into his arms and wordlessly walked the rest of the way out of the alley. Martha and Jack followed.

"I have a hunch. But I'm going to let Buffy explain when she's ready. Right now, she just needs the Doctor." Martha replied. The Doctor leads them towards the street and over to a couple of nearby benches where he immediately sits down on one, settling Buffy on his lap and continuing to comfort her.

"I'm sorry." Buffy whispered. The Doctor shook his head.

"Don't be, sweetheart. Just take your time, I'm not going anywhere." Martha sat down beside the Doctor and took Buffy's hand to give the Slayer some extra comfort, and Jack leant on the bench to discuss what to do next with the Doctor. Jack kicked off the conversation.

"At least we made it." He gestured around at the busy street, with some of the nosier people occasionally looking over at them, eyeing Buffy with concern and quickly avoiding eye contact when Jack gave them a warning glare to keep moving. "Earth, twenty-first century by the looks of it. Talk about lucky." Jack commented, relieved.

"That wasn't luck that was me." The Doctor chimed in, dismissively.

"Still, the moral is: if you're going to get stuck at the end of the universe, get stuck with an ex-Time Agent and his vortex manipulator." Jack chuckled humourlessly. Martha frowned up at him.

"But this Master bloke, he's got the TARDIS. He could be anywhere in time and space." The Doctor shook his head firmly.

"No, he's here. Trust me." He insisted. Buffy sat up and the Doctor smiled at her. "Are you alright now?" He asked her. Buffy nodded and kissed him briefly on the cheek in gratitude.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Martha asked her gently. Buffy shook her head getting up off the Doctor's lap to stretch her legs and winced at the bright sunshine filtering through the trees surrounding them. The Doctor frowned, his thoughts on the Master.

"Who is he, anyway? And that voice at the end, that wasn't the Professor." Martha pointed out.

"If the Master's a Time Lord, then he must have regenerated." Jack mused. Buffy approached and frowned at the term.

"What does that mean?" She asked as she took a seat beside the Doctor and hugged his arm, linking their hands for extra comfort. Martha nodded in agreement.

"It means that he changed his face, voice, body, everything." Buffy's eyes widened and she turned to study the Doctor who looked back at her warily, before focusing on something in the distance that had caught his eye. "New man." Jack explained. Martha frowned.

"Then how are we going to find him?" Martha questioned.

"I'll know him, the moment I see him. Time Lords always do." The Doctor confirmed, but all three of them noticed that he looked deeply disturbed. Buffy wondered if it had anything to do with what had just caught his eye moments before. Suddenly, something occurred to Martha.

"But hold on. If he could be anyone…" She trailed off glancing over at a nearby propaganda poster that read: _Saxon is Your Man,_ in clear enlarged capital letters. Martha frowned in realisation. "We missed the election." A series of public television screens on lamp posts are broadcasting the news. Martha's eyes widened. "But it can't be."

An immaculately dressed newsreader appeared on screen.

"Mister Saxon has returned from the Palace and is greeting the crowd inside Saxon Headquarters." The well-coiffed woman stated. The new Prime Minister descends the steps with his wife on screen. The Doctor is fixed upon his face and Martha's mouth dropped open in realisation.

"I said I knew that voice. When he spoke inside the TARDIS. I've heard that voice hundreds of times. I've seen him. We all have." She points at the television screen. "That was the voice of Harold Saxon." Buffy scrutinised his face, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"You keep forgetting that I'm from 1997. I've never seen him before in my life before now." Buffy stated. Martha's eyes widened. She glanced at the Doctor for his reaction; but the Time Lord didn't appear to be worried. He was too busy staring at Harold Saxon's face.

"That's him." The Doctor confirmed their missing Time Lord. "He's Prime Minister." The Doctor was saddened that somebody from his past was responsible for all this. "The Master is Prime Minister of Great Britain." His eyes widened in shock when the Master suddenly turned and kissed the well-dressed woman at his side. "The Master and his wife?!"

All four of them stiffened when 'Harold Saxon' turned to the cameras and flashing lightbulbs to address his public.

"This country has been sick. This country needs healing. This country needs medicine." Buffy clenched her fists in a fury. "In fact, I'd go as far as to say that what this country really needs right now, is a Doctor." The Master gave a 'charming' smile to the television cameras that caused Buffy to stiffen and narrow her eyes with mistrust.

"That guy is seriously twisted." She declared.

"No objections here." Jack agreed. The Doctor got to his feet and scrutinised Buffy's wound. He offered his hand to her and pulled her to her feet.

"Come on, we need to go somewhere and take care of that graze." He smeared the clotting blood on Buffy's forehead, causing her to wince slightly. Martha got to her feet.

"My place is close by. C'mon." She takes off down the street, followed by the Doctor, Buffy and Jack.

* * *

Martha led her friends to a modest little flat.

"Home." Martha stated with relief, as she led a still slightly shaky Buffy over to the couch in front of the TV and went in search for the First Aid kit to clean up Buffy's graze. The Doctor darted around the room, calling out to Martha. Jack was on his phone trying to get into contact with somebody.

By the frustrated expression on his face, he wasn't getting anywhere fast.

"What have you got?" The Doctor asked Martha when she re-immerged from her kitchen holding a well-stocked First Aid kit. "Computer, laptop, anything." He eyed Jack warily. "Jack, who are you phoning? You can't tell anyone we're here." He stated.

Martha fetches her laptop.

"Just some friends of mine, but there's no reply." Jack replied, distractedly. Martha boots up her laptop for the Doctor.

"Here you go. Any good?" The Doctor immediately started surfing the web, and Jack came over to look over his shoulder.

"I can show you the Saxon websites. He's been around for ages." Jack told him as Martha attended to Buffy who was silently observing them from her place on the couch. She frowned.

"That's so weird though. It's the day after the election. That's only four days after I met both you and Buffy." Martha stated as she dabbed at Buffy's cut. The Doctor frowned, looking disturbed.

"We went flying all around the universe while he was here all the time."

"You going to tell us who he is?" Buffy asked, quietly. The Doctor glanced briefly at her over the top of the laptop.

"He's a Time Lord." He replied. Buffy frowned at him, unamused by his answer.

"What about the rest of it? I mean, who'd call himself the Master?" Martha asked, naturally curious. The Doctor gave both girls a look.

"That's all you need to know." He replied succinctly before glancing back down at the laptop screen. "Come on, show me Harold Saxon." He muttered to himself. Martha finishes with Buffy, who now sported a simple band aid on her forehead and started cleaning up. As she passed her answering machine, she noticed that she had a message.

 _"Martha, where are you?"_ It was her sister, Tish. _"I've got this new job. You won't believe it. It's weird. They just phoned me out of the blue. I'm working for—"_ Martha stops the message, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, like it matters." She muttered, tiredly.

Buffy got to her feet and walked over to where the Doctor and Jack were scrolling through the contents of a webpage dedicated to the man they knew as 'Harold Saxon'. She perches on the armrest of the chair the Doctor is sitting on and makes a face at the collection of celebrities endorsing the Master as the next Prime Minister. There was Sharon Osbourne, the British band McFly, Ann Widdecombe… Jack filled in the blanks for the Doctor.

"Former Minister of Defence. First came to prominence when he shot down the Racnoss on Christmas Eve." He turns and grins at the Doctor. "Nice work, by the way." The Doctor gives an acknowledging smile.

"Oh, thanks."

Martha returns and approaches them.

"But he goes back years. He's famous. Everyone knows his story." She comes over to the Laptop and starts pointing out facts. "Look. Cambridge University, Rugby blue. Won the Athletics thing. Wrote a novel, went into business, marriage, everything. He's got a whole life." Martha looked and sounded incredulous.

Several minutes later, they were still learning useless factoids about the Master that seemed very hard to believe now that they knew the truth. Buffy was mostly silent as she listened to the Doctor, Martha and Jack discussing what was really events from ten years into her distant future, and Buffy decided to stay out of it. She was already learning way too much as it was.

"I was going to vote for him." Martha revealed. The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her admission. Buffy frowned at the idea.

"You serious?" She scoffed. Martha looked defensive.

"Well, it was before I even met you and the Doctor. And I liked him." She stated. Jack nodded in agreement.

"Me too." The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you say that? What was his policy? What did he stand for?" He asked, urgently. Every piece of information he could scrounge up from any source could be useful for his plans to stop the Master.

Martha stared off into space.

"I don't know. He always sounded good." She started to tap a strange rhythm, which both Buffy and the Doctor observed, disturbed. "Like you could trust him. Just nice. He spoke about." Martha frowned contemplatively. "I can't really remember, but it was good. Just the sound of his voice."

"What's that?" Buffy asked curiously. Martha jerked out of her thoughts.

"What?"

The Doctor pointed at her fingers.

"That. That tapping, that rhythm. What are you doing?" He demanded, urgently. Martha looked slightly flustered.

"I don't know. It's nothing. It's just, I don't know." The same rhythm that Martha had been tapping absently suddenly blares out from the laptop, and a pop up stated Saxon Broadcast All Channels.

"Buffy, could you turn on the TV?" The Doctor requested. Buffy nodded and wondered over to the set, switching it on. She scoffed.

"Our lord and master is speaking to his kingdom." The Doctor said, sardonically. Buffy snorted.

"This should be good." She took a step back from the TV and folded her arms across her chest. The Master's face appeared.

"Britain, Britain, Britain." He had such a fake smile on his face Buffy could swear it was causing him great pain. _Good…_ Buffy thought bitterly. "What extraordinary times we've had. Just a few years ago, this world was so small. And then they came, out of the unknown, falling from the skies. You've seen it happen." Buffy raised an eyebrow as a series of film clips were shown. "Big Ben destroyed. A spaceship over London. All those ghosts and metal men." Buffy noticed the Doctor stiffen at that last one. "The Christmas star that came to kill." Buffy turned away from the TV screen, shocked at the future.

"The future is certainly interesting…" She muttered.

"Time and time again." The Master continued, forcing Buffy to turn back to the TV screen. "And the government told you nothing. Well, not me. Not Harold Saxon. Because my purpose here today is to tell you this. Citizens of Great Britain. I have been contacted." The Doctor made a face. "A message for humanity, from beyond the stars." The Master nods at somebody off screen and in the next instant, an image of a small metallic sphere appeared.

"People of the Earth. We come in peace." It said, using a robotic feminine voice. "We bring great gifts. We bring technology and wisdom and protection. And all we ask in return is your friendship." Both Buffy and Jack snorted.

"That's likely." Buffy scoffed.

The Master smiled.

"Ooh, sweet. And this species has identified itself." He announced. "They are called the Toclafane."

"What?" The Doctor exclaimed with disbelief.

"And tomorrow evening, they will appear. Not in secret, but to all of you. Diplomatic relations with a new species will begin." The Master smiled calmly into the camera. And almost immediately, Buffy's instincts were telling her something wasn't right.

"Doctor…" Buffy began, but the Master had started to speak again.

"Tomorrow, we take our place in the universe. Every man, woman and child. Every teacher and chemist and lorry driver and farmer. Oh, I don't know, every medical student?" The Master smirked, and the Doctor exchanged a horrified look with Martha before he rushes over to the TV set and turns it around to see sticks of explosives had been strapped to the back.

"OUT!" The Doctor roared, before grabbing the Laptop and Buffy and running for the street. Both Martha and Jack follow quickly. The first floor of Martha's converted house explodes with a massive fireball smashing the windows. The Doctor glances at all of them with worry.

"Alright?" Both Buffy and Jack nod, but Martha has pulled out her phone and is frantically dialling on it. "Martha? What are you doing?" Martha fixes the Doctor with a hard glare.

"He knows about me. What about my family?" She puts the phone to her ear, and listens impatiently.

"Don't tell them anything!" The Doctor insists, frantically.

"I'll do what I like!" Martha snaps back at him, sighing in relief with the line connects. "Mum? Oh my God. You're there."

" _Of course I'm here, sweetheart."_ Martha frowns at the odd way her mother is speaking to her. Buffy senses something is not right. _"You all right?"_ Martha replies instantly.

"I'm fine. I'm fine, mum." Martha draws in a deep breath, bracing herself for her mother's answer to her next question. "Has there been anyone asking about me?" There is silence for a moment. It fills Martha with dread.

" _Martha, I think perhaps you should come round."_ Martha shakes her head.

"I can't. Not now."

" _No, but it's your father."_ Martha freezes and Buffy comes over, concerned by the various expressions passing over her friend's face. Martha glances at the Slayer who mouths 'what's wrong?' at her. She shakes her head at her as she continues to listen to her mother's words. _"We've been talking and we thought we might give it another go."_ Martha definitely senses something fishy is happening at her mother's home. Her parents wouldn't restart their rocky marriage for all the money in the world.

"Don't be so daft. Since when?" She demands, disbelievingly.

" _Just come around."_ Francine insists. _"Come to the house. We can celebrate."_ Martha isn't buying it.

"You said you'd never get back with him in a million years."

" _Ask him yourself."_ Martha frowns as she hears the phone being transferred to another person and then her father's unusually calm voice speaks.

" _Martha, it's me."_ Martha is getting increasingly nervous.

"Dad, what are you doing there?"

" _Like your mother said, come round. We can explain everything."_ He instructed his daughter. Martha decides to test something.

"Dad? Just say yes or no. Is there someone else there?" There was a tense silence.

" _Yes! Just run!"_ Martha's heart leaps into her throat as she hears her mother yell 'Clive!' in the background. _"Listen to me! Just run! I don't know who they are!"_ Her father explains frantically. There are sounds of a struggle over the line and Martha panics as she hears her mother telling her to ignore what her father is telling her. Martha is desperate, and Buffy glances towards the Doctor and Jack for advice; but even they are clueless about how to help.

"Dad? What's going on? Dad?" Martha yells into the phone. But nobody responds. Cursing, Martha hangs up the phone and runs for her car. "We've got to help them!" The Doctor disagrees.

"That's exactly what they want. It's a trap!" He warns her. But Martha glares at him ferociously.

"I don't care!"

The Doctor has no choice but to follow his distressed companion and gets into the passenger seat of Martha's Vauxhall Corsa. Jack and Buffy scramble into the backseat as Martha puts the car into gear and speeds off down the road, narrowly avoiding oncoming traffic.

"Corner!" The Doctor yells. Martha accesses her hands free phone, dialling her sister's phone.

"Come on, Tish. Pick up!" The call connects.

" _Martha, I can't talk right now. We just made first contact. Did you see—what are you doing?"_ Tish exclaims to somebody on her line, which immediately goes dead. Martha's anxiety climbs and she curses at the Doctor.

"It's your fault! It's all your fault!" The Doctor looks hurt and Buffy leans over to defend him.

"Hey! Ease up will you!?" She snaps, angrily.

Martha ignores her as Jack pulls Buffy back into her seat. Martha turns another corner to her mother's street and slams on the brakes when she sees a large black police van parked right in front of her mother's house. The policemen are trying to get her parents inside. Francine's face pales and she calls out to her daughter.

"Martha, get out of here! Get out!" A woman dressed head to toe in black steps forward.

"Target identified." The armed police take their position and Buffy immediately springs into action.

"Reverse, Martha! Reverse!" She yells frantically.

"Take aim!" The woman orders as Martha takes a U-turn.

"Floor it!" Buffy hollers.

"Get out, now!" The Doctor yells at the same time.

"Fire!" Martha puts the car into gear and the car is slammed by bullets. Jack shields Buffy as he yells at Martha.

"Move it!" The rear window is shattered as they drive away. The woman calmly and coolly turns to the police officers loading Martha's parents into the van.

"Take them away."

* * *

Martha drives erratically through the streets, visibly angry and upset. Buffy looks stressed out and helpless. She wants to help Martha, but is at a loss how to go about it. Martha mutters angrily underneath her breath.

"The only place we can go planet Earth. Great!"

The Doctor is getting increasingly nervous about Martha's driving.

"Careful!" He urges. Jack takes charge of the situation.

"Martha, listen to me. Do as I say. We've got to ditch this car." He tells her calmly and rationally. "Pull over. Right now!" He orders her firmly. Martha obeys, and Buffy and the Doctor sigh with relief. Martha drives to an underpass, and everybody disembarks. The Doctor takes off, followed by Buffy and Jack. Martha is understandably the last one to follow.

"Martha, come on!" The Doctor calls out to her. Rain starts to fall from the heavens and Martha makes another phone call. This time to her younger brother, Leo.

"Leo! Oh, thank God." She exclaims. "Leo, you got to listen to me. Where are you?" Martha asks, frantically.

 _"I'm in Brighton. Yeah, we came down with Boxer."_ He sounds calm and relaxed. Martha sees that as a good sign. _"Did you see that Saxon thing on telly?"_ He inquires curiously. Martha doesn't acknowledge the question.

"Leo, just listen to me. Don't go home. I'm telling you. Don't phone Mum and Dad or Tish. You've got to hide." She tells him.

Leo thinks Martha is taking the mickey out of him.

 _"Shut up."_ He replies. Martha is visited with the urge to strangle her brother through the phone.

"On my life." She insists. "You've got to trust me. Go to Boxer's. Stay with him. Don't tell anyone. Just hide." She instructs him. Then another voice joins the conversation.

 _"Ooh, a nice little game of hide and seek."_ Martha freezes.

It is the Master.

Martha bristles, livid. _"I love that. But I'll find you, Martha Jones."_ The Master adopts a casual, carefree tone. _"Been a long time since we saw each other. Must be, what, one hundred trillion years?"_ He sneers. The Doctor, Buffy and Jack hover nearby Martha, waiting for her to finish her phone call so they could plan their next move.

"Let them go, Saxon." Martha orders, angrily and draws the Doctor's attention. "Do you hear me!? Let them go!" She shouts into the phone. The Doctor takes the phone from Martha, just as Buffy comes over to calm her down. But she eyes the Doctor nervously.

"I'm here." The Doctor says into the phone. He hears the Master fumble around with his phone, then his excited breathing in his ear.

The Doctor shudders, revolted.

 _"Doctor."_

"Master." The Doctor replied grimly. The Master gives a belly chuckle.

 _"I like it when you say my name."_

"You chose it. Psychiatrist's field day." The Doctor responded dryly, and began to pace feeling agitated. He ignored the worried expression on Buffy's face as she hovered nearby, but he was grateful that she was there. His old friend was extremely unpredictable and anything could happen; and unfortunately, none of it would be good.

 _"As you chose yours. The man who makes people better. How sanctimonious is that?"_ The Master drawled with distaste, causing the Doctor to bristle. _You can talk…_ The Doctor thought tartly. But after a couple of deep breaths, he was calm enough to talk civilly with him.

"So, Prime Minister, then?"

 _"I know. It's so good, isn't it?"_ The Master sounded positively gleeful. The Doctor ignored the question.

"Who are those creatures? Because there's no such thing as the Toclafane. It's just a made up name, like the Bogeyman." The Master didn't reply.

 _"Do you remember all those fairy tales about the Toclafane when we were kids?"_ The Doctor immediately went solemn. _"Back home. Where is it, Doctor?"_ The Master demanded, all playfulness gone from his voice. The Doctor sighed.

"Gone." He said simply.

 _"How can Gallifrey be gone?"_ The Master demanded sharply.

"It burnt." The Doctor responded. There was silence for a moment before the Master continued grilling him.

 _"And the Time Lords?"_

"Dead." The Doctor felt a hand take his, and he looked over and saw Buffy with a sad, and understanding expression on her face. It was clear that she had somehow heard what they had said. He didn't smile, but squeezed her hand once in gratitude. "And the Daleks, more or less. What happened to you?" He asked, clearing his throat and trying to compose himself.

The Master scoffed.

 _"The Time Lords only resurrected me because they knew I'd be the perfect warrior for a Time War."_ He explained, bitterly. _"I was there when the Dalek Emperor took control of the Cruciform. I saw it. I ran. I ran so far. Made myself human so they would never find me, because I was so scared."_ The Doctor was disturbed, and squeezed Buffy's hand once more, earning a questioning frown which he ignored.

"I know."

 _"All of them? But not you, which must mean…"_

"I was the only one who could end it." The Doctor explained. "And I tried. I did. I tried everything." The Master must've sensed how uncomfortable the Doctor felt about the subject of their planet burning, so he decided to pick at the scab.

 _"What did it feel like, though? Two almighty civilisations burning. Oh, tell me, how did that feel?"_ The Doctor flinched.

"Stop it!"

 _"You must have been like God."_ The Doctor could hear the smirk in the Master's words.

"I've been alone ever since. But not anymore. Don't you see? All we've got is each other." The Doctor insisted.

 _"Are you asking me out on a date?"_ The Master teased. The Doctor ignored him, in favour of squeezing Buffy's hand again. This time the Slayer nearly yelped in pain from his powerful grip. He apologised by stroking her hand with his thumb.

"You could stop this right now. We could leave this planet. We can fight across the constellations, if that's what you want, but not on Earth." The Doctor suggested. Buffy's eyes widened and she made protesting gestures, but the Doctor fixed her with a glare; stunning her with the ferocity within his deep brown eyes.

 _"Too late."_ The Doctor's hearts stopped.

"Why do you say that?" He demanded, urgently, letting go of Buffy's hand and walking towards a nearby shop window. Buffy remained where she was, not wanting to risk the Doctor's anger again, but watching him closely. She barely registered when Martha and Jack arrived and stood with her watching the Doctor having his unpleasant conversation with the Master.

 _"The drumming. Can't you hear it? I thought it would stop, but it never does. Never ever stops. Inside my head, the drumming, Doctor. The constant drumming."_ The Master described it to the Doctor, and it caused the Doctor's hearts to break.

"I could help you. Please, let me help." The Doctor insisted. But he knew that it was probably a futile effort. The Master appeared to dismiss the Doctor's help.

 _"It's everywhere. Listen, listen, listen: 'Here come the drums. Here come the drums.'"_ Suddenly, all around them weirdness ensues. A nearby man wearing a hoodie starts slapping his thighs with the rhythm they had all heard back in Martha's flat. The Doctor's eyes widened in horror.

"What have you done? Tell me how you've done this. What are those creatures? Tell me!" He demands. The Master suddenly starts laughing in amusement.

 _"Ooh, you're on TV."_

"Stop it! Answer me!" The Doctor was getting irritated with the Master's seemingly goldfish-like attention span.

 _"No really. You're on telly. You and your little band."_ The Master insisted.

"Doctor, look." Buffy said. The Doctor turned towards her and saw that she, Martha and Jack were looking in one of the shopping windows; all three of them were pale like they had just seen a ghost. He glanced at the window and immediately understood why.

A broadcast is on every TV in the shop window.

 _"Which by the way, is ticking every demographic box."_ The Master remarked casually. _"So congratulations on that."_ The Doctor's face, Buffy, Martha and Jack's popped up on screen with a ticker describing them as Terrorist suspects. _"You're public enemies number one, two, three and four. Oh, and you can tell handsome Jack, that I've sent his little gang off on a wild goose chase to the Himalayas, so he won't be getting any help from them."_ The Doctor's hearts started beating frantically. _"And tell Miss Summers, I said 'Hi' will you? There's a good chap."_

The Doctor nearly crushed Martha's phone in his grip.

"Doctor? What's going on?" Buffy started to panic, and Jack came over to comfort both her and Martha, as the Doctor glanced around helplessly.

 _"Now, go on, off you go. Why not start by turning to the right?"_ The Doctor turned and saw a CCTV feed angled directly at them. His eyes widened in horror.

"He can see us!" He announces to his companions and zaps the CCTV with his sonic.

 _"Oh, you public menace."_ The Master taunts. _"Better start running. Go on, run!"_ Buffy came over to him.

"May I be the first to say that we're officially screwed?!" She stated, irritated. The Doctor couldn't agree more. He glances around, suddenly paranoid and suspicious of everything.

"He's got control of everything." He confirms.

"What do we do?" Martha asks, scared.

"We've got nowhere to go!" Jack stated, looking as helpless as the Doctor did. Buffy grabbed the Doctor's shoulders and made him focus on her face.

The Slayer was needed.

"Doctor, what do we do?" The Doctor hadn't yet hung up, and the Master heard her question.

 _"Run, Miss Summers."_ Buffy scowled at Martha's phone and snatched it from the Doctor's grip before he could stop her. She jammed it to her ear.

"Listen here, you freak. You'd better hope and pray that I don't ever see your face, because if I do I'm going to cave it in with my fist! You got that!?" Then Buffy hung up the phone and chucked it at Martha who caught it. "We so gotta get out of here!" She declared. The Doctor nodded, slightly disapproving about how she spoke to the Master, but not necessarily disagreeing with her either.

"Run!" He stated, and Buffy took off running with the Doctor tailing her, eyeing her with concern, and Martha and Jack following; also taken aback by Buffy's acerbic words towards the Master.

* * *

 **A/N: Stay tuned for the next chapter. Please review as usual.**

 **TTFN ;)**


	19. Here Come The Drums

**I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson, and** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ **© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions.**

 **Cheers xx**

* * *

 **HERE COME THE DRUMS**

" _So here it comes, the sound of drums…"_ _ **~Rogue Traders: 'Voodoo Child' (Here Comes The Drums [2005])**_

* * *

The four of them ran as far as they could without drawing attention to themselves before they eventually came across an abandoned warehouse. And disturbingly, it reminded Buffy very much of the various warehouses back home in Sunnydale. The second they knew they were safe for now, Buffy retreated somewhere private to calm down, because she could still feel the corrosive anger she had felt when the Master not only taunted and needled the Doctor; but also had the audacity and the cheek to have a go at her. Martha made to follow her, but the Doctor caught her by the wrist before she could take another step.

"Leave her, Martha." He stated, as both of them watched the emotional Slayer retreat.

The Doctor was very worried about her.

Buffy felt like an idiot.

She was letting her fear of the Master control her emotions; and as the Slayer, she couldn't afford to turn into a whimpering mess when everything depended on her for a successful outcome. Allowing that to happen would be a death sentence for many other innocent people. She was also feeling extremely restless, and there was only one way to relieve it.

Thank God she was in London, England; known to be one of the many notorious hot spots for vampiric activity back in 1998. Hopefully, it was still the case here in 2007.

"I need some air." Buffy declared to the Doctor, Jack and Martha who were huddled together planning their next move around Martha's laptop.

"Where are you going?" The Doctor called out, warningly. Buffy stopped and turned to scowl at him for the tone he was using. She didn't feel like sharing her plans.

"Out, _Dad_." She replied, sarcastically and continued walking. But before she could take another step she is jerked to a stop by a hand grabbing her wrist. "Can I help you?" The Doctor turned her to face him.

His face was like steel.

"Don't be cute. And stop acting like a child." He said, with a deadpan coldness. Buffy sneered.

"I am a child, or have you forgotten?" There was a stony silence between them, and then the Doctor realising and remembering her youth; softened and released her arm. Buffy took a step back from him, looking at him inquiringly.

"Be safe." He pleaded.

"Always am." Buffy replied, before turning on her heel and walking off. The Doctor watched her leave before letting out a frustrated sigh and he turned to walk back over to Jack and Martha who had been watching. Jack eyed him critically.

"What was what about?" He questioned. The Doctor ignored him and sat down, his brown eyes troubled. "Doctor?"

"She's scared and she's frustrated." The Doctor told him, quietly. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Your point?" Martha leaned over to Jack.

"Jack, Buffy's only sixteen." She explained. Jack reacted in disbelief.

"She's what?" He turns the Doctor. "Doctor, she's only a child!" He exclaims, and the Doctor fixes him with a look.

"Buffy's not just a child; she also the Vampire Slayer." He stated, with a hint of a warning in his tone.

The Time Agent was lost for words. He had heard rumours of this so called 'Chosen One' who routinely protected innocent people from all manner of evil; but he hadn't expected to learn that the Doctor's girlfriend just happened to be it. It was very hard to believe, and opened his mouth to say so. But Martha made the cut off motion underneath her chin, leaving Jack with no choice but to just accept it for what it was.

* * *

It was well and truly dark by the time Buffy decided to return to the warehouse.

The long walk had done her some good and she believed that she would be able to focus on what they needed to do next. But what hadn't improved her mood was the fact that she was yet to find any vampires lurking around, searching for their next meal. It seemed odd considering that she was walking around the streets of London, England; a place Giles had told her was just as dangerous as the streets of Sunnydale or even Los Angeles. It was also the home of the Watcher's Council, which Buffy was surprised hadn't sent out any watchers to seek her out and demand to know why she hadn't fronted up and reported to them her arrival in England.

"Vampires? Here vampires!" Buffy called out, feeling very puzzled. Giving up, she decided to head back. She didn't want to worry the Doctor unnecessarily; even if he was angry with her at the moment. Buffy turned a corner to take a short cut down a laneway when she spotted Martha up ahead, carrying what appeared to be takeaway chips in her arms. She was about to call out to her friend so that they could walk back together; after all there was safety in pairs, when she suddenly sensed that a vampire was lurking nearby. She grinned. _Finally!_ She followed the feeling, and realised with dread that the vampire had chosen an unsuspecting Martha as his intended victim. "Shit!" Buffy swore under her breath, and jogged to keep up with Martha and her vampire stalker.

She followed them through the streets until they came back to the warehouse; where upon both the vampire and Buffy stopped as they watched Martha sneak back inside. It was now or never for Buffy to act before the vampire could move in for the kill. Buffy tried to figure out the best way of eliminating the vampire so she could go back inside and curl up around the fire-pit the Doctor and Jack had constructed when they first arrived at the warehouse, and eat the lovely salt and vinegary chips Martha had just purchased. Buffy jogged lightly up to the entrance, looking around for anybody who could've spotted her or Martha, before slipping inside silently.

* * *

Martha walks inside the warehouse with the bag of takeaway chips in her arms. Jack looks up and greets her.

"How was it?" He asked cautiously. Martha puts the chips down on the table, and sits down next to the Doctor.

"I don't think anyone saw me." Martha replied, still oblivious to the vampire who had followed her in and was biding his time before he could come in and feast upon them. "Anything new?" Jack nodded.

"I've got this tuned to government wavelengths so we can follow what Saxon's doing." He explained.

Martha gave him a flat look.

"Yeah, I meant my family." She asked, unwrapping the chips. The Doctor looked up from the laptop.

"It still says 'the Jones Family taken in for questioning.'" Martha's face fell. "Tell you what, though. No mention of Leo." He told her, optimistically, which allowed Martha to brighten a little.

"He's not as daft as he looks." Martha said proudly, then realised what she had just said then looked disgusted with herself. "I'm talking about my brother on the run. How did this happen?" Jack gave her a sympathetic look as he reached for the pile of chips on the table.

"Nice chips." He mused. The Doctor popped a couple in his mouth and nodded, liking the flavour bursting on his tastebuds.

"Actually, they're not bad." He agreed. A loud crash sounded from the entrance, and then the sounds of a fight made them freeze.

"What was that?" Jack asked cautiously. "Stay here, I'll go and investigate." He started to run towards the entrance, but stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the sounds of somebody grunting in pain. Jack had to duck when something flew through over his head and landed in a heap on the opposite end of the room. He went over to the unmoving lump on the ground.

"Jack, be careful." The Doctor cautioned him. Jack carefully turned the man over and frowned in confusion. "Is he alright?" The Doctor asked, but before Jack could reply he was jumped by the man. They immediately started wrestling.

"Jack!" Martha squealed in fear.

Jack didn't reply as he took in the sinister golden eyes blinking back at him, and the sharp fangs as the vampire grabbed him by the lapels and pulls him in. However, Jack is unexpectedly rescued by someone he did not expect: Buffy, who grabbed the vampire by the nape of the neck and pulled him to his feet.

"That's not very nice." Buffy stated before turning him to face her and belting him in the face, and kicking him aside. Buffy turned to a stunned looking Jack. "You okay?"

"Buffy, look out!" The Doctor hollered.

Buffy calmly noticed a rusted hubcap that had been discarded and a splintered piece of wood lying not too far away but the vampire was advancing fast. Deciding not to traumatise Martha with the carnage, Buffy opted for the splintered piece of wood and quickly snatched it up. She then turned and impaled the vampire through the chest. The vampire grunted, looking at her with astonishment, before promptly exploding into dust. Nobody said a word for several minutes, and Buffy turned to her unwitting audience and made note of their separate reactions: The Doctor was emotionless, but Buffy was able to notice the proud twinkle in his brown eyes. Martha looked speechless, and Jack looked like somebody had hit pause on the remote control.

"What just happened?" Jack eventually spluttered. Buffy gave a small smile and helped him to his feet.

"You just paid witness to your very first vampire slay." Buffy explained, clapping him on the back. Jack blinked as he and Buffy wondered back over to the fire-pit.

"That was a vampire?"

"Yep. Totally understand if you're in denial about it. I was when I killed my first vampire." Buffy said, as she reached over and grabbed a handful of the chips. "Hi!" She said brightly to the Doctor who raised an eyebrow at her.

"Feeling better then?" He asked, casually. Buffy's face sobered up.

"Yeah." She got to her feet and wondered over to him, taking a seat beside him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said." Buffy explained. The Doctor frowned a little.

"No, you shouldn't have." He agreed. "But no harm done." He added, returning to his usual happy-go-lucky self. Buffy grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug; relieved that she wasn't in the doghouse. Jack was still reeling and the Doctor glanced over at him in amusement when Buffy let go and sat down beside him. "You alright there, Captain?" Jack recovered, brushing aside the question and changing the subject.

"So, Doctor, who is he?" Jack asked, returning to the topic of the Master. "How come the ancient society of Time Lords created a psychopath?" He asked curiously.

"And what is he to you?" Martha added. "Like a colleague or…"

"A friend, at first." The Doctor interrupted.

Martha looked surprised.

"I thought you were going to say he was your secret brother or something." The Doctor stopped chewing and fixed Martha with a strange look, while Buffy tried and failed not to burst out laughing at the idea.

"You make it sound like some sort of twisted soap opera." Buffy said as the Doctor nodded in agreement.

"You've been watching way too much TV."

Jack frowned.

"But all the Legends of Gallifrey made it sound so perfect." He stated. The Doctor gave a reminiscent smile.

"Well, perfect to look at, maybe. And it was. It was beautiful." The Doctor agreed, and Buffy leaned forward to listen, balancing her chin on her hand as the Doctor took a trip down memory lane. Jack and Martha followed suit, listening intently. It was clear that the Doctor very rarely talked about his home planet, and this was a rare opportunity to learn more about Gallifrey. "They used to call it the Shining World of the Seven Systems. And on the Continent of Wild Endeavour, in the Mountains of Solace and Solitude, there stood the Citadel of the Time Lords, the oldest and most mighty race in the universe; looking down on the Galaxies below. Sworn never to interfere, only to watch."

Buffy was spellbound.

The Doctor made his home sound like a paradise; the kind of place one would go to seek enlightenment and inspiration like the Monk Monasteries in Tibet, where travellers went to find absolution or inner peace.

"Sounds like a wonderful place to grow up, Doctor." Buffy commented, smiling slightly at him. The Doctor shrugged at her, as though telling her without saying that she had to be there to get the full picture.

"Depends on the individual." The Doctor admitted. The three of them looked confused.

"Not sure I follow." Jack responded.

The Doctor sighed.

"Children of Gallifrey, taken from their families age of eight to enter the Academy. Some say that's when it all began." This was when Martha, Jack and Buffy knew that the Doctor was about to describe both his and the Master's childhood to them. They hoped it would enlighten them as to why he was so screwy. "When he was a child. That's when the Master saw eternity." Buffy's eyes widened. "As a novice, he was taken for initiation. He stood in front of the Untempered Schism. It's a gap in the fabric of reality through which could be seen the whole of the vortex." Here the Doctor paused, staring off into space and frowning; as though the memory of what he had experienced when he was eight wasn't a pleasant one.

"You make it sound like a bad thing." Buffy stated. The Doctor smiled at her, patiently.

"That's because it hurts. You stand there, eight years old, staring at the raw power of time and space, just a child. Some would be inspired, some would run away, and some would go mad." He shuddered violently, causing them all to frown.

"What about you?" Martha asked. The Doctor snorted.

"Oh, the ones that ran away." He said. "I never stopped." Buffy chuckled. Jack's bracelet suddenly beeps, drawing everyone's attention. Jack examined it.

"Encrypted channel with files attached. Don't recognise it." He explained.

"Sounds ominous." Buffy said, dryly. The Doctor pushed Martha's laptop towards Jack.

"Patch it through to the laptop." Jack nodded and proceeded to do just that, but then paused looking sheepish. The Doctor frowned. "What's wrong?" Jack hesitated.

"Uh, since we're telling stories. There's something I haven't told you." He admitted. He opened the file and the Torchwood logo appears on the screen.

"Who or what is Torchwood?" Buffy asked. The Doctor glared at Jack.

"You work for Torchwood." He stated, angrily. Jack defended himself.

"I swear to you, it's different. It's changed. There's only half a dozen of us now."

The Doctor didn't buy it.

"Everything Torchwood did, and you're apart of it?" He growled with distain. Jack persisted with his explanation, growing nervous as the Doctor's disapproval rose.

"The old regime was destroyed at Canary Wharf. I rebuilt it, I changed it, and when I did that, I did it for you in your honour." The Doctor paused, still eyeing Jack with disapproval; but when Jack finished his explanation, his anger simmered down and he let it go … for now.

Buffy reached over and hit play, rolling her eyes at the testosterone flying about. The video was a recording made by one of the members of Torchwood describing something called the 'Archangel Network' and how the Master was involved in its launch.

"What's the Archangel Network?" Buffy asked.

"I've got Archangel. Everyone's got it." Martha pulled out her phone and showed it to both Buffy and the Doctor who took it from Martha and scanned it with his sonic.

"It's a mobile phone network. Because look, it's gone worldwide. They've got fifteen satellites in orbit. Even the other networks, they're all carried by Archangel." Jack pointed out on the Laptop. The Doctor frowned, before taking Martha's phone and examining it.

Buffy's eyes widened in shock.

"Doctor, you don't think that weird rhythm is in the phones, do you?" The Doctor beamed at her, impressed with her ability to think ahead.

"Exactly! I said he was a hypnotist." The Doctor used his screwdriver on Martha's phone. "Wait, wait, wait! Hold on!" He taps the phone against the folding table and it immediately starts playing the Master's rhythm. "That rhythm, it's everywhere. Ticking away in the subconscious."

"Woah, that's incredibly violating." Buffy paled, as Martha looked at the Doctor with large worried eyes.

"What is it, mind control?" She asked. The Doctor shook his head.

"No, it's subtler than that. Any stronger and people would question it. But the rhythm contains layers of code: 'vote Saxon', 'believe in me'; all whispering to the world. That's how he hid from me, because I should have sensed there was another Time Lord on Earth." Then he frowned in disgust. "I should've known way back. The signal cancelled him out."

Buffy tugged on his arm, grabbing his attention.

"Hey! Stop beating yourself up. You're not perfect, Doctor, and everybody makes mistakes." She reminded him. The Doctor nodded, but still looked like he was blaming himself.

"Any way you can stop it?" Jack asked urgently. The Doctor shook his head.

"Not from down here. But now we know how he's doing it."

"And we can fight back." Martha confirmed.

"Oh, yes!" The Doctor grinned, and begins gathering up parts of Martha's phone and laptop, welds them together with Martha and Jack's TARDIS keys with his sonic. Buffy notes the odd number of keys and looks at the Doctor with a raised eyebrow. He notices her expression and glances down at where she was looking and realises. "Oh, yes. I think now's the perfect time to give you this." The Doctor reaches for Buffy's hand and places something in it and closes her hand around it. The Slayer opens her hand to see a fourth TARDIS key with all the bits and bobs he had welded on Martha and Jack's keys.

Buffy lit up.

"You're giving me a key to the TARDIS?!" She exclaimed excitedly. The Doctor grinned happily at her reaction, and wraps her up into a tight hug.

"Frequent fliers privileges." He whispers in her ear before kissing her temple. Buffy pulled away from the Doctor and stared at the Yale key curiously.

"What did you do to it?" She asked. The Doctor held up his key and explained it to his three thoroughly confused companions.

"Four TARDIS keys. Four pieces of the TARDIS, all with low level perception properties because the TARDIS is designed to blend in. Well, sort of." He explained. "But now, the Archangel Network's got a second low level signal. Weld the key to the network and…" The Doctor turns to Martha and gestures for her to get to her feet. "Martha, you can see me, yes?"

Martha frowned. "Yeah?"

"What about now?" The Doctor puts the makeshift TARDIS key necklace around his neck, and almost immediately Jack and Buffy noticed that Martha was finding it difficult to look directly at him. "No, I'm here. Look at me." Martha was frustrated.

"It's like I know you're there, but I don't want to know." She explained. The Doctor grinned again and took off the necklace.

"And back again." Buffy grins.

"Oh, that is cool!" The Doctor beamed.

"Martha just demonstrated how the key shifts your perception a tiny little bit. It doesn't make us invisible, just unnoticed." He moved to put on his trench coat. "Oh, I know what it's like. It's like when you fancy someone and they don't even know you exist. That's what it's like." Martha's face falls, and Buffy winced at her expression. The Doctor headed for the exit. "Come on." Buffy scowled and shook her head as she got up and hurried after the Doctor, while Jack took a moment to comfort a hurt Martha.

"You too, huh?" Jack guessed, sympathetically.

Martha shrugged as though to say 'C'est La Vie' and got up to follow Buffy and the Doctor.

* * *

Outside the warehouse, Buffy jogged to keep with the Doctor and once she fell into step with him, gave him a piece of her mind.

"Smooth, Doctor. Very smooth." Buffy drawled sarcastically. The Doctor looked at her in surprise.

"Sorry?" He was confused, and Buffy privately thought that his clueless face was adorable, but at the same time his obliviousness had just hurt somebody's feelings and he needed to understand. Buffy thumbed over her shoulder in Martha's general direction.

"You need to work on your tact." Buffy explained, as the Doctor looked back at a slightly miserable looking Martha.

"Why, what did I do?"

Buffy was pleased that the Doctor at least looked genuinely concerned that he had unintentionally done something bad. That gave him brownie points. She hooked arms with him, as she explained.

"Martha's got a crush on you; and you kinda hurt her feelings back there during your explanation." The Doctor's eyes widened, and he immediately looked anguished. Buffy smiled approvingly at his reaction. "Don't worry about it, Doctor. Martha's not angry with you, and shit happens. Just next time be a bit more observant." Buffy reminded him.

The Doctor nodded, sober-faced as he glanced back at Martha with a worried look as she and Jack glanced about nervously for unfriendly assailants. Filing this information away for future reference, the Doctor immediately took point when they reached a busy pathway. He stopped and turned to address the three of them with a serious expression on his face.

"Don't run, don't shout. Just keep your voice down. Draw attention to yourself and the spell is broken. Just keep to the shadows." He instructed.

"Like ghosts." Jack supplied, and the Doctor nodded in approval.

"Yeah, that's what we are. Ghosts." The Doctor placed his key around his neck and immediately stepped out, mingling with the crowd and stepping around them to prevent people from walking into him.

Martha, Jack and Buffy follow suit and hurried to keep up with him. Buffy silently hoped that when all of the mayhem with the Master was done and dusted, that she would be able to keep the TARDIS camouflage key for future patrols; or at least convince the Doctor to make her something similar. It was a very ingenious idea, but Buffy wasn't stupid enough to tell her boyfriend that. He already had a big enough ego as it was. The four of them make their way to the airport, where it was expected that the President of the United States of America was supposed to arrive. They watched the Master greet the President, who regarded him with obvious distain. It was when Martha's family arrived that things got a little dicey.

"Oh, my God." Martha gasped, and made to walk towards them. The Doctor grabbed her wrist, restraining her.

"Don't move." He told her, firmly. Martha hesitated.

"But the…"

"It's not worth the exposure, Martha." Buffy pointed out. They watched as Martha's parents are pushed into a Range Rover Vogue.

"I'm gonna kill him." Martha vowed.

"Don't blame ya." Buffy agreed. Jack frowned with disgust as he observed the Master's obvious enjoyment at the Jones Family's misery.

"What say I use this perception filter to walk up behind him and break his neck?" He suggested fiercely. The Doctor shot him a look.

"That's sounds like Torchwood." Jack stood down a little, and shrugged.

"Still a good plan."

"He's a Time Lord, which makes him my responsibility. I'm not here to kill him, I'm here to save him." The Doctor insisted. Jack shared his knowledge about where the convoy were heading.

"Aircraft carrier Valiant. It's a UNIT ship at fifty eight point two north, ten point oh two east." Jack stated. Martha clenched her fists, itching to do something to save her family. Buffy turned to the Doctor.

"How do we get on board?" She asked. The Doctor eyed Jack's bracelet with mild interest.

"Does that thing work as a teleport?" Jack raised his arm and nodded.

"Since you revamped it, yeah." He set the coordinates he had just mentioned into the bracelet. "Coordinates set." Everybody laid their hands on Jack's bracelet and Jack pressed the button, instantly teleporting them to the engine room on board the Valiant. It was not a pleasant ride once again.

"Damn, I hate that thing." Buffy complained, hunching over and straining.

Martha nodded.

"I agree, that thing is rough." Jack recovered the fastest, and straightened up.

"I've had worse nights. Welcome to the Valiant." Both Martha and Buffy headed for the nearest window and glanced out, frowning with confusion.

"It's dawn?" Buffy sounded surprised.

"Hold on, I thought this was a ship. Where's the sea?" Martha questioned.

Jack grinned.

"A ship for the twenty-first century, protecting the skies of planet Earth." Both Buffy and Martha learned that Valiant was a Cloudbase comprising of three landing strips and a helipad. The Doctor and Jack led Buffy and Martha through the Valiant's corridors searching for where the Master and the President were broadcasting the First Contact with the 'Toclafane'. Suddenly, the Doctor stops running; something catching his interest.

Jack sighed impatiently.

"We've no time for sightseeing, Doctor." Jack insisted. The Doctor raised his hand, signalling for silence.

"No, wait. Shush, shush, shush, shush. Can't you hear it?" They stopped and listened.

"Hear what?" Buffy whispered. Martha was getting anxious.

"Doctor, my family's on board." She reminded him, but the Doctor wasn't paying attention and he suddenly grinned triumphantly.

"Brilliant. This way!" He takes off in a random direction and the others have no other choice but to follow him. They run down a gangway to level 4, where the Doctor opens a door at the end which reveals a seemingly unharmed TARDIS. Everyone sighs in relief.

"Oh, at last!" The Doctor rejoiced upon seeing his beloved ship and both Martha and Buffy cheered.

"Oh, yes!"

"What's it doing on the Valiant?" Jack wondered out loud. The Doctor doesn't reply, instead choosing to head inside … and stopped dead, reacting in horror with what was revealed.

"Oh, shit!" Buffy blurted out, as Martha gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

"What the hell's he done?" Jack exclaimed, in horror.

"Don't touch it!" The Doctor yelled.

"I'm not going to." Jack retorted, defensively.

"What's he done though? It sounds sick!" Martha noted, concerned. The Doctor's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when he realised exactly what had been done to the TARDIS.

"It can't be." He shouted. "No, no, no, no, no, no! It can't be!" Buffy didn't like the sound of the Doctor's reaction.

"Doctor, what is it?" She exclaimed.

"He's cannibalised the TARDIS!" The Doctor explained, and Jack's eyes widened. He turned to the Doctor, praying that what he suspected wasn't true.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"It's a paradox machine!" The Doctor confirmed Jack's fears as he taps on a gauge on a metal mash that surrounded the time console. "As soon as this hits red, it activates. At this speed, it'll trigger at two minutes past eight." Jack cursed.

"First contact is at eight, then two minutes later." Martha was confused.

"But what's it for? What does a paradox machine do?"

"I think the better question is, can you stop it?" Buffy demanded, fiercely. This whole situation was rapidly falling apart and she didn't like what it was doing to the Doctor and his sanity. The Master was going to pay for this, and Buffy wanted to be the one to deal out the justice.

"Not till I know what it's doing. Touch the wrong bit, blow the solar system." The Doctor explained.

"Then we've got to get to the Master." Martha stated. _Duh…_ Buffy thought, caustically. Jack agreed with her.

"Yeah. How are we going to stop him?" The Doctor instantly looked sheepish.

"Oh, I've got a way. Sorry, didn't I mention it?"

And then there were times when Buffy wanted to strangle the Doctor.

* * *

"My fellow Americans, patriots, people of the world. I stand before you today as ambassador for humanity, a role I will undertake with utmost solemnity. Perhaps our Toclafane cousins can offer us much, but what is important is not that we gain material benefits, but that we can learn to see ourselves anew." Buffy rolled her eyes as she, the Doctor, Martha and Jack sneak silently into the Flight Deck, at the tail end of the President's speech. She almost felt embarrassed on behalf of her nation, because this guy was – in her opinion – long winded and gratifying himself too much.

But thankfully, he wasn't as bad as the Master.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Buffy muttered underneath her breath, making a face at the President's speech. Then her eyes swivelled around and fixed upon the Master who was sitting at the long conference table beside his wife, Lucy, listening to the President with a shit-eating grin on his sinister face. The Doctor subtly wrapped his hand around Buffy's wrist when the Slayer nearly forgot that she was supposed to be flying under the radar and charged at the Master.

"Easy, Buffy. Keep your head." The Doctor warned, sternly. Buffy huffed in frustration but obeyed him; all whilst wishing her glares were bullets. Jack leant over to whisper to the Doctor.

"This plan, you going to tell us?" The Doctor pulled out another camouflage TARDIS key and held it up.

"If I can get this around the Master's neck, cancel out his perception, they'll see him for real. It's just hard to go unnoticed with everyone on red alert. If they stop me you've got a key." He instructed.

"Yes, sir." Jack replied. Buffy and Martha nodded without question, each glaring at the Master.

"I'll get him." Martha promised. The President wrapped up his speech.

"And I ask you now, I ask of the human race, to join with me in welcoming our friends. I give you the Toclafane." He gestured and four metal spheres appeared. The President's smile falters a little when he sees them, but he moved to greet them. "My name is Arthur Coleman Winters, President Elect of the United States of America, and designated representative of the United Nations." He paused for effect. "I welcome you to the planet Earth and its associated moon." The spheres apparently were unimpressed with the greeting.

"You're not the Master." One of them spoke, which caused the other three to voice their own protests.

"We like the Mister Master."

"We don't like you." The President hesitated.

"I can be master, if you so wish. I will accept mastery over you, if that is God's will." The spheres gave a child-like laugh.

"Man is stupid."

"Master is our friend."

"Where's my Master, pretty please?" The spheres wheedled pitifully. The Master couldn't resist.

"Oh, all right then. It's me. Ta da!" All heads swivelled to the Master as he got up from his chair and bounded up on to the platform the President was standing on. "Sorry, sorry, I have this effect. People just get obsessed. Is it the smile? Is it the aftershave? Is it the capacity to laugh at myself? I don't know. It's crazy." Everyone in the room, except for the ones in on the Master's plan and those in the know, looked at him like he was nuts.

The President frowned at the Master disapprovingly.

"Saxon, what are you talking about?" The Master eyed him dangerously.

"I'm taking control, Uncle Sam, starting with you." He turns to one of the spheres. "Kill him." The sphere points its weapon at the President and blasts him to pieces. Everybody is shocked, and guns are drawn. The Master laughs and claps his hands enthusiastically. "Guards." The lead guard calls out to his subordinates.

"Nobody move! Nobody move!" The Master sneers and addresses the television cameras.

"Now then, peoples of the Earth. Please attend carefully." The Doctor rips off the key from around his neck and tries to run forward. Two of the Master's thugs grab him, and the Master looks down at him with unadulterated glee.

"We meet at last, Doctor. Oh, ho. I love saying that." He crowed. The Doctor thrashed wildly in the thugs' restraining grip. His brown eyes wild and angry.

"Stop it! Stop it now!" The Master ignores his plea.

"As if a perception filter's going to work on me. And look, it's the girlie and the freak." The Master appraises Jack and Martha. Buffy is mysteriously absent. "Although, I'm not sure which one's which." Jack runs forward, but the Master zaps him with his screwdriver, killing him. Martha cries out in anguish. "Laser screwdriver. Who'd have sonic? And the good thing is, he's not dead for long. I get to kill him again!"

The Master points his screwdriver at Jack again, and is caught off guard when it is kicked out of his hand by somebody incredibly strong and agile. The screwdriver flies through the air, and the figure forward flips in its direction and straightens up; expertly catching the screwdriver and pointing it directly at the Master.

It was Buffy.

The Slayer was in full fight mode, and her jaw was set and her green eyes hard and flinty. The Master was impressed.

"Buffy, don't!" The Doctor pleaded. She ignored him, as the Master smirked down at her.

"Well, well, well. Miss Summers, isn't this a pleasant surprise. You grow lovelier every time I see you." The Master turned on the charm, and Buffy made a face.

"Sorry, I can't say the same about you." Buffy replied sassily. "Now tell your goons to release the Doctor, or else!" The Master raised an eyebrow.

"Or else, what?" Buffy smiled sweetly.

"Let's just say it involves your screwdriver and a very sensitive and crucial part of the male anatomy." Both the Master and the Doctor were taken aback.

"You're bluffing." The Master stated.

"Am I?" Buffy challenged. A cocky smirk spread across the Master's face, alarming the Doctor, who fought harder to get free.

"Let's find out shall we?" The Master called her bluff. Buffy faltered, then gasped and reached up to her neck. She pulled away a small blow dart and realised that she had just been tranquilised.

"Buffy!" The Doctor exclaimed. Buffy's vision began to get fuzzy.

"Damn…" She muttered before falling to the ground unconscious. The Master glanced down at her carelessly, before squatting down beside her and turning her onto her back.

"Called her bluff." He stated casually, and retrieved his screwdriver from her hand. "I have big plans for her."

"Don't touch her!" The Doctor snarled, dangerously. The Master glanced up at him with interest and straightened up.

"Touched a nerve I see. Hmmm? How very interesting." The Doctor tried to appeal again to the Master.

"Master, just calm down. Just look at what you're doing. Just stop. If you could see yourself." The Master sighed dramatically and addressed the television cameras with a martyred air.

"Oh, do excuse me. Little bit of personal business. Back in a minute." He turns to the goons restraining the Doctor. "Let him go." The Doctor is dropped in a heap, and he looks worriedly over at Buffy before glancing back at the Master and getting to his feet.

"It's that sound. The sound in your head. What if I could help?" The Doctor offered. The Master sneered.

"Oh, how to shut him up?" He pretended to think, then clicked his fingers. "I know. Memory lane." The Master then described to the Doctor of the time he, Martha and Buffy had paid a visit to Professor Lazarus; a vain and selfish old man who had invented the Genetic Manipulation Device; a machine that could restore a person's youth and supposedly give them a second chance at life. Naturally, all hell had broken loose; and the Doctor, Buffy and Martha (with a little help from Tish) had to save the day. The Doctor and Martha looked stunned. "What, did you think that little Tish got that job merely by coincidence? I've been laying traps for you all this time. And if I can concentrate all that Lazarus technology into one little screwdriver? But, ooh, if I only had the Doctor's biological code." The Doctor and Martha froze. "Oh, wait a minute, I do." He opens up a large metal briefcase. "I've got his hand. And if Lazarus made himself younger, what if I reverse it? Another hundred years?" Then without warning, the Master aims his screwdriver at the Doctor, who goes into rapid convulsions. Martha was glad Buffy was knocked out and not witnessing this. Jack revives with Martha next to him, lending support.

"Teleport." He croaks, handing her his bracelet. Martha looks at him with wide eyes.

"I can't." She protests. Jack fixed her with a serious look.

"We can't stop him. Get out of here. Get out!" He insists, before crawling over to Buffy and cradling her in his arms. Martha glances over at Lucy Saxon, who looks like she is having second thoughts about her husband's plans; but pastes a false smile on her face. The Master stops zapping the Doctor, who now looks at least one hundred years older. The Doctor cowers on the floor, and Martha crouches by his side.

"Doctor? I've got you." She helps him sit up, and the Doctor glared resentfully at the Master.

"Ah, she's a would be doctor." The Master observes them both. "But tonight, Martha Jones, we've flown them in all the way from prison." Martha's sorrowful eyes widen when her family is brought in with their wrists fastened together with cable ties.

"Mum…" Martha whispers.

"I'm sorry." Francine whimpers.

"The Toclafane." The Doctor wheezed, but the Master can't hear him and kneels before him asking him to repeat himself. "What are they? Who are they?" He demanded weakly. The Master chuckles.

"Doctor, if I told you the truth, your hearts will break." He promised. Two of the spheres hovered over.

"Is it time? Is it ready?" One of them asked.

"Is the machine singing?" The second one asked, excitedly. The Master checks his watch, and grins.

"Two minutes past. So, Earthlings. Basically, er, end of the world." He addresses the television cameras. "Here come the drums!" The paradox machine in the TARDIS activates as Rogue Traders' _Voodoo Child_ suddenly plays loudly over hidden speakers. An enormous tear in the sky above the Valiant appears, and thousands of spheres descend from the revealed blood red sky as Martha, the Doctor, Jack (still cradling an unconscious Buffy) and the rest of the horrified spectators observe helplessly. The Master mockingly blows a kiss at the Doctor and Martha, before sauntering over to a very pale Lucy, who is standing at the window watching. "How many do you think?" He asks her.

Lucy hesitates.

"I, I don't know." She replies, truthfully. The Master smiles evilly.

"Six billion." Lucy's eyes widen in shock, as the Master flicks on the microphone and addresses the floating spheres. "Down you go, kids!" The spheres head to the population centres and open fire. "Shall we decimate them? That sounds good. A nice word, decimate." Lucy smiles but says nothing. The Master addresses the spheres. "Remove one tenth of the population!" The Doctor who had been observing the Master since the paradox machine activated, pulled Martha close and whispers to her. She tearfully nods, before she moves away from him, holding Jack's bracelet in her hands. Martha secures it to her wrist just as cries for help report in over the speakers. Martha reluctantly teleports away, and the Doctor and Jack exchange looks at each other.

"Is she okay?" The Doctor mouths at Jack, referring to the still unconscious Buffy. Jack checks for a pulse, and nods. The Doctor nods back just as the Master and Lucy pull him to his feet and drags him over to the window, making him watch the slaughter down below.

"And so it came to pass that the human race fell, and the Earth was no more. And I looked down upon my new dominion as Master of all, and I thought it good."

The Doctor despaired.

* * *

 **A/N: Part two arrives shortly. Thanks for reading, and please review!**

 **TTFN ;)**


	20. The Devil Carries a Laser Screwdriver

**Part two.**

 **I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson, and** _ **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ **© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions.**

 **Cheers xx**

* * *

 **THE DEVIL CARRIES A LASER SCREWDRIVER.**

" _Before the doors close. And it comes to an end. With you by my side I will fight and defend."  
_ _ **~Avril Lavigne: 'Keep Holding On' (The Best Damn Thing [2007])**_

* * *

 **~ONE YEAR LATER~**

Seventeen-year-old Buffy Summers lay on her bed in the private quarters designated to her by the Master, twirling a large metal key around her fingers, ruminating on her life so far and staring into space.

It had been a year since he had taken over the Earth, and in that time a lot of shit went down. But the most talked about on board the Valiant included when the Master discovered that Buffy was the Slayer; which intrigued him to the point that he wanted her to demonstrate her supernatural abilities to him. Naturally, she refused claiming that her fate had only one purpose in her very short life – which the Master also learnt had been cut short recently, and she had been revived – and it didn't involve killing innocent people. To commit murder would probably have drastic consequences not only to the real meaning of the Chosen One's destiny, but also to Buffy's sanity.

The Master had not liked that answer and retaliated by ordering the Toclafane to torture and murder Jack over and over again.

Alarmed, Buffy tried to compromise; offering to slay a vampire for him instead of dooming her friend to that sort of torture. The Master was somewhat mollified and accepted the offer. But Buffy was yet to learn that the Master was only just humouring her, and that he had at that moment made his plans to make Buffy his personal assassin; since it was clear that she had strength that rivalled a Time Lord's. And if she disobeyed or displeased him in any way, he would subject her to torture by whipping, a beating and by Toclafane.

But that apparently, was just the beginning.

All hell broke loose when Buffy was discovered one morning, sleeping in the comforting arms of the Doctor in his straw strewn tent. She fought tooth and nail, but in the end both of them suffered dearly for their 'mistake', but not as much as the Doctor who was frustrated and furious that he was unable to help Buffy in his current weakened state; since he was not only responsible for her because she was still, technically, a child; but also because she was his girlfriend. That little titbit of information regarding their relationship was probably the worst thing for the Master to learn. He now the perfect blackmail material to aid him in getting his own way: Buffy must do exactly what the Master wanted – execute those he deemed dispensable – or risk torture for both herself and the Doctor; much to their horror and deep resentment. And as punishment, Buffy was forbidden to be the same room as the Doctor alone, unless the Master was present; and even then, physical contact was not allowed. Every night since then, Buffy's quarters were locked shut with the key in the Master's possession at all times.

But since when were these rules followed?

Moved, sympathetic and perhaps just to fuck royally with the Master; the Jones Family and on occasion, Lucy Saxon herself, assisted Buffy and the Doctor by swiping the key Buffy was now playing with and hid it in the oatmeal Buffy consumed for breakfast every morning, just to allow the Slayer to have some alone time with the man she loved. Having waited long enough, Buffy reached over and clicked off her bedside lamp; plunging the room into darkness, before quickly and quietly tiptoeing to the bedroom door, unlocking it and making her way silently and cautiously down the familiar corridors she had walked a thousand times to the Flight Deck.

Once or twice she had to duck out of sight of the Master's many guards and goons patrolling the corridors for intruders or those breaking curfew and some Toclafane that went whizzing by giggling in their usual creepy child-like way. Buffy shuddered violently, remembering a particularly unpleasant torture session involving the Toclafane, and those little spheres were surprisingly bloodthirsty and sadistic little bastards.

"Doctor?" Buffy whispered tentatively, registering the stillness of the room. The only sounds she could hear were the sounds of the engines holding the floating aircraft carrier in the air, the occasional beeps and other electronic noises in the room, and the Doctor's deep wheezing breaths. "Doctor?" She repeated a little bit louder. There was some shuffling coming from the tent she could only just make out from her vantage point.

"Buffy?" The Doctor's hopeful and confused wheeze answered, as he crawled out of his tent carrying a lit candle with him for light, and Buffy gave him a melancholy smile. "You shouldn't be here, love. You could get caught again." He warned her, but the joyful smile on his face contradicted his words.

"I really don't care to be honest." Buffy admitted, shrugging as she kneeled down beside him. He scowled half-heartedly.

"Well, I do." Buffy was stubborn, and the Doctor sighed and opened his arms; inviting her into his embrace. His eyes widened in alarm when Buffy cried out in pain the second his arms wrapped around her. "What the hell happened?" He demanded worriedly. Again, Buffy hesitated. Then slowly she turned her back on him and gingerly eased up her black tank top, revealing the still bloody lash wounds on her bare back. She nearly jumped when he touched her back gently with his thin, callused fingers. "When?" The Doctor asked her; his deep voice was cold and calculating, which told Buffy he was just barely controlling his anger. She lowered her shirt, and turned back to face him. The Doctor frowned when Buffy avoided his eyes and hugged her knees to her chest.

"Last night, before dinner." She replied, quietly. "I refused to perform the execution of child who had …" Buffy couldn't finish her explanation. The anguished tears came thick and fast, and the Doctor immediately came over and sat behind her, allowing Buffy to lean back against his chest as he cradled her in his arms and slowly rocked her. "Killing is one thing, but I couldn't kill an innocent kid in cold blood no matter what they did wrong." Buffy stated.

"I agree." The Doctor murmured into her hair.

Buffy gave a small smile.

"In case you're wondering, they'll be gone by the time the morning arrives. Thank God for accelerated Slayer healing." Buffy told him, triumphantly. The Doctor sighed as he did not share her enthusiasm.

"That's not the point, Buffy, and you know it." He scolded her.

Buffy bit her bottom lip.

"I do. But not killing the kid was only one of the reasons why I got whipped." Buffy admitted. The Doctor stopped rocking them.

"What was the other reason?" He asked, sternly.

Buffy was sheepish. "Kinda mouthed off at him."

The Doctor groaned. "Buffy..."

"I don't know why I did." Buffy admitted, guiltily. "Giles always said I was a bit of a smart-ass. Guess I proved him right." The Doctor nodded.

"Your watcher is a very wise man." The Doctor stated, playfully, then went serious. "Buffy, you need to watch what you say. One day, you'll go too far and piss him off. And…" Buffy winced, already knowing what he was about to say. "Please. I've lost too much already, please don't make me lose you. I don't think my hearts could bear it." The Doctor told her. Buffy's heart skipped a beat, and she turned in his arms and kissed his cheek before leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I'm not going anywhere. Not if I can help it." Buffy promised as both of them fell into a comfortable silence. "Have you heard the rumours about Martha?" Buffy questioned.

"I have." He replied solemnly. "I promise you that everything is going to plan, we've just got to hold out for a little while longer." He promised.

Buffy pulled a face.

"God, I hope so. I don't know how much more I can take being his lapdog."

"I know, sweetheart. But I swear to you, my plan will pay off." The Doctor confirmed. Buffy glanced out the window and groaned.

"I gotta go back. Don't wanna get caught like the last time." Buffy stated and moved get up. But the Doctor tightened his hold. "Doctor? I have to go." Buffy told him.

"Stay a little longer. I promise I'll let you leave in time to get back to your room." He insisted, smiling warmly. Buffy grinned, turning towards him and cuddling back up with him.

"Now how can I resist an offer like that?" She asked him, playfully. Buffy could just barely see the cheeky grin on the Doctor's face.

"You can't." He whispered tenderly as he listened to Buffy's breathing as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The Doctor watched over his Slayer, who was sleeping peacefully in his arms. Having learnt his lesson from the last time Buffy had slept in his tent, he made sure to buy her enough time to wake up and get back to her room before they could get caught and punished severely by the Master. The poor girl looked like she was barely getting any sleep as it was, probably even less due to the bloody wounds on her back.

The Doctor had been furious when Buffy had revealed to him the bloody lashes – he had counted at least fifty criss-crossing her back – and for a moment nearly started plotting revenge. But after a few hours, the anger had simmered down to complete and utter despair about how far his oldest friend had fallen in such a short length of time. But how he felt about that was a close second to how he reacted when he had finally figured out what the Toclafane really were. He had decided to keep that knowledge to himself, and did not reveal this to Buffy; the Slayer was already traumatised enough.

He wanted desperately to help the Master, but he hadn't the faintest idea of how to go about it. And what exactly did he mean by hearing 'the never-ending drums' inside his head? Suddenly the Doctor sensed movement, and he immediately roused Buffy from her sleep.

"Huh? Doctor, what's wrong?" Buffy mumbled groggily, then realised what she had been doing and cursed. "Shit, I better get back." She immediately crawled out from the tent and straightened up.

"Go, quickly!" The Doctor urged frantically.

Buffy sighed miserably and crouched down to chastely kiss him.

"I'll see you later." She promised before immediately and swiftly making her way out of the Flight Deck and back down the corridor to her room. Buffy quickly dove for the bed and disappeared underneath the duvet.

She counted her blessings she still had a few hours before she'd be woken up by Tish and given her daily lukewarm bowl of oatmeal (where upon she would return the Master's key to her). Then she was apparently supposed to front up to the Master and accompany him and Lucy to the Flight Deck where he was to give an important message to the surviving humans still living on the Earth. _And I'm sure it'll be a bundle of laughs as well…_ Buffy thought sardonically. Buffy yawned and rolled over to face the wall and quickly fell back to sleep; her last thoughts were on the Doctor.

* * *

Buffy woke up, ate oatmeal and orange juice, showered, and dressed in the outfit the Master had forced her to wear as his personal assassin, which Buffy reckoned made her look like a blonde haired Lara Croft: army green tank top with a waist-length black leather jacket, skin tight smoky grey jeans (that Buffy could move in like they were a second skin) and black Doc Martens. She had pulled back her shoulder-length blonde hair into a professional upsweep style; pinned up with hair chopsticks. It was closer to what Buffy probably would've worn back in Sunnydale during patrol, and it was much better than the outfit the Master wanted her to originally wear, which was very revealing and made even Buffy feel uncomfortable just looking at it.

But Lucy Saxon had put her foot down, risking her own neck in the process; citing that Buffy was still just a child. The Master surprisingly enough, agreed after much thought and ordered Buffy to dress for the job. Sighing, Buffy strapped on her throwing knives to both her thighs and donned her gun about her hips before making her way to where the Master lurked with Lucy. Buffy paused at the door, grimacing, before she wrapped her knuckles on the wood.

"Enter." The Master called; and Buffy nearly flinched at his tone.

 _Uh, oh…_

Buffy wondered what had pissed the Master off this time. Steeling herself and putting on a blank face, Buffy let herself in and saw the Master standing at the window, dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and black tie.

"Good morning, sir." Buffy droned formally, closing the door and standing ramrod straight with her arms behind her back. The Master turned, his face was a blank canvas of icy calmness.

"Ah, Buffy. Good to see you." He greeted, his usual smug smirk spreading over his face. Buffy noticed Lucy immerging from the ensuite dressed head to toe in siren red with her strawberry blonde hair made up to look like a Hollywood Starlet from the Golden Age. Buffy nodded to her in greeting, and Lucy gave a shy smile back and turned towards her vanity station. The Slayer noticed that Lucy was sporting a new fashion accessory this morning … a small bruise on her cheekbone. Buffy's eyes widened slightly. Clearly, Lucy Saxon had done or said something that her husband had not liked and suffered the consequences. Buffy felt waves of disgust building, but she forced it down in order to focus upon the Master and what he had intended on doing today. She was not looking forward to learning who the Master was angry with. "Right then. Shall we, ladies? We have a lot to do today." The Master sauntered casually over to Lucy and offered her his arm.

Lucy automatically took his arm and stood up, and the couple walked towards the door with Buffy following five paces behind. The three of them made their way to the Flight Deck, but the Master broke away from Lucy in order to make his usual 'grand entrance' to greet his 'loyal subjects'. Lucy fell back and stood demurely beside Buffy, as the Master burst through the doors. "Citizens rejoice. Your lord and master stands on high, playing track three." Almost immediately, he starts dancing to _'I Can't Decide'_ by Scissor Sisters; and goes up to Lucy to kiss her and pull her into the dance as well.

Buffy rolls her eyes and goes to stand in her designated spot to wait for her orders. Francine passes by serving tea, and formally nods to Buffy in greeting which she returns as the Master rings a ships bell. The Doctor crawled out of his straw strewn tent, and the Master immediately pounced and heaved him to his feet, pushing him roughly into a wheelchair and steers him around the deck. The Doctor immediately locks eyes with Buffy who struggles to keep the emotion off her face, but attempted to relay to him with her eyes that the Master was pissed off about something or someone. It must have worked, as the Doctor seemed to immediately sag in the wheelchair. The Master leaned down to mutter into the Doctor's ear.

"It's ready to rise, Doctor. The new Time Lord Empire. It's good, isn't it? Isn't it good?" The Doctor gave him a deadpan stare. "Anything? No? Anything?" The Doctor looked away, his eyes downcast. The Master frowned, until he realised what the Doctor could possibly be thinking about. Then he smirked. "Oh, but they broke your hearts, didn't they those Toclafane, ever since you worked out what they really are." The Doctor grimaced, and Buffy wanted to break something … preferably the Master's face. The Master turned the chair around so that the Doctor was facing him. "They say Martha Jones has come back home. Now why would she do that?" He asked the Doctor half-curiously.

"Leave her alone." The Doctor warned him. The Master wasn't intimidated, and remained stubbornly persistent.

"But you said something to her, didn't you?" The Doctor was silent. "On the day I took control. What did you tell her?" He demanded.

The Doctor turned his head to look at him.

"I have one thing to say to you. You know what it is." The Master immediately reeled back from him.

"Oh no, you don't!" The pushes the Doctor's wheelchair away from him, unintentionally pushing it in Buffy's direction. "Come on, people! What are we doing?" The Master exclaims. The wheelchair drifts towards the Slayer, and Buffy simply raises her foot and stops it before it could slam right into her. But it does almost throw the Doctor right out of the chair, and Buffy moves to grab him before he could crumple to the ground. "Launch Day in twenty four hours." She settles the Doctor back in the wheelchair, and squats down in front of him.

"Are you alright?" Buffy whispers to him.

The Doctor nods and winks at her before holding up three fingers. Buffy nodded and pushed his chair back in the opposite direction. As the Doctor drifts over to the long conference table in the middle of the room, he passes Francine and holds the same three fingers against his thigh. She gives the same signal to her ex who is mopping in the corridor, and he passes it on to Tish who is also dressed as a maid and takes a tray of cold mashed swede towards the Brig. Inside, a grubby, tattered Jack is being forced to stand upright at all times, with his wrists chained to stout posts on either side.

"Morning, Tish." Jack greets Tish, brightly. "Ah, smell that sea air. Makes me long for good old British fish and chips. Yeah." Tish uncovers the tray of cold mashed swede, and dips a spoon into it. Jack grimaces. "What do I get? Cold mashed swede. Some hotel. Last time I book over the internet." Tish spoons some into Jack's mouth and puts three fingers against the container.

Jack winked at her.

* * *

At 2:58pm on the Bridge, the Doctor, Francine and Tish are there waiting for the right moment, while Clive was still cleaning below decks. In the Brig, Jack takes note of a clock he can see from his cage and starts pulling on his chains. The Master re-enters the flight deck with Buffy following him. He too glances at the time, but for different reasons.

"Time for my massage." Everybody reacts with disgust. "Who shall I have today?" The Master glances about at the many different options before zeroing in on one of the girls, whom Buffy recalled was named Tanya. The girl looked less than enthused that she was the one chosen. "Tanya. Come one, sweetheart." Tanya had no choice but to obey. He turns to a hurt looking Lucy. "Lucy, have you met Tanya? She's gorgeous. Tanya, when we got to the stars, I'm going to take you to the Catriga Nova. Whirlpools of gold." Buffy felt sorry for Tanya. But most importantly, she felt sorry for both Lucy and herself for having to put up with the pig 24/7. It was three seconds to go before 3 o'clock, and Jack's chains were beginning to come away from the wall. The Master was oblivious to the plan. "You two should get to know each other. That might be fun." _For who, exactly?_ Buffy thought, as Tanya started to massage the Master's shoulders. At 3 o'clock, Jack finally manages to get himself free and grabs a steam hose and pointed it at the guard.

Clive throws water on an electrical circuit and begins a fire.

"Condition red." The Master reacts to the announcement.

"What the hell?"

"Repeat, condition red." Buffy immediately reacts, and tosses the Master's jacket to Tish. She gives it to the Doctor who rummages around the pockets for the Laser Screwdriver and points it threateningly at the Master.

The Master sneers, unimpressed.

"Oh, I see." He drawls.

"I told you. I have one thing to say." The Doctor stated, as the Master begins to laugh; not very afraid of what was happening while meanwhile down in the lower corridors, Clive gets caught, and Jack is confronted by a squad of armed men. He groans in frustration, dropping the gun in his hands, and immediately surrenders.

"Oh, here we go again." He stated before getting shot to death by the squad. In the Flight Deck, the Doctor realises that he can't get the laser screwdriver to work. The Master grins triumphantly.

"Isomorphic controls." He explains as he strolls over and takes the screwdriver from the Doctor before backhanding him and sending him sprawling. "Which means they only work for me. Like this." He points and fires a laser beam at Francine, who screams as it just narrowly misses her. "Say sorry!"

"Sorry. Sorry. Sorry." Francine shouts through clenched teeth. Tish rushes over to her mother's side.

"Mum!"

"Didn't you learn anything from the blessed Saint Martha? Siding with the Doctor is a very dangerous thing to do. Take them away." The Master's guards begin rounding everybody including Buffy up and leading them away. "Not you, Buffy. Come over here." Buffy jerks her arm away from a guard and quickly goes over to him, already knowing that the Master was in a foul mood, made even fouler by their latest attempt to gain freedom. "Help him up." He orders her, and Buffy immediately stoops down and seizes the Doctor under the arms and helps him into the wheelchair. "There you go, Gramps." The Doctor, sensing the danger, immediately attempts to shield a terrified Buffy by pulling her behind the wheelchair but the Master laughs in his face, and clamps a strong hand around her upper arm to stop her from moving, uncaring that he could be possibly hurting her.

"Leave her alone." The Doctor growls. The Master sneers, ignoring the warning.

"Oh, do you know, I remember the days when the Doctor, oh, that famous Doctor, was waging a Time War, battling Sea Devils and Axons. He sealed the rift at the Medusa Cascade single handed. And look at him now. Stealing screwdrivers." The Master chuckled humourlessly, and increased the pressure on Buffy's arm causing the Slayer to cry out and causing the Doctor to tense. "How did he ever come to this? Oh yeah, me." The Doctor glared at him.

"I just need you to listen." The Doctor insisted.

"No! It's my turn." The Master stated, and focused on Buffy who looked at him with wide fearful eyes. "Did you two really think you were fooling anyone? I know you snuck out to visit your precious Doctor last night. And now you must suffer the consequences." Then before Buffy could defend herself in anyway, the Master backhanded her like he had done to the Doctor.

"Oof!" Buffy grunted as the blow turned her head to the side. The Doctor reacted violently.

"Stop it!" He snarled, then reacted in shock when Buffy stepped in front of him; a smirk on her face directed to the Master, who watched her a little warily, as she wiped a bit of blood that dripped from the corner of her mouth.

"I was so hoping you would do that." Buffy stated darkly before she let loose and slugged him in the face, knocking him backwards. The Doctor reached out to grab her, but in his weakened state was a little slower and Buffy was able to easily move out of reach as she advanced on the Master.

"Buffy, stop please! This is not the answer!" The Doctor insisted. However, the Master retaliated.

"Hold her!" Two guards seized Buffy by the arms; and no matter of bucking or violent struggle would be able to free her. The Master glowered at her. The Doctor was almost beside himself with fear that Buffy was about to be killed again, ironically by yet another being known as 'the Master'. The Master grabbed Buffy by the hair and yanked her head up to look him in the eye. "Big mistake, sweetheart." He stated, before turning to the guards. "Chain her up." He ordered, and Buffy fought harder for release, but was unsuccessful as they cuffed her to the wall, nearby the Doctor's tent. The Master then turned to the Doctor. "Revenge! Best served hot. And this time, it's a message for Miss Jones."

"You do realise that I can break these, right?" Buffy pointed out. The Master didn't bother to look over at her.

"Oh, I think not. Those chains have been reinforced." Buffy paled and tried to break free. She couldn't, and now the Doctor was at the mercy at the Master who no doubt had a much worse punishment in mind.

* * *

"My people. Salutations on this, the eve of war. Lovely woman." The Master grinned into the camera, happy as a clam. "But I know there's all sorts of whispers down there. Stories of a child, walking the Earth, giving you hope." All hell was about to break loose, and they were all in the line of fire. Martha's parents and Tish were locked up, and Jack was back in his chains; having woken up from being killed by bullet fire. The Master continued his speech. "But I ask you, how much hope has this man got?" The television camera angled towards a grim faced Doctor, still sitting in his wheelchair. "Or for that matter, this child?" The camera tiled up to show a bound Buffy who had angry tears streaming down her face. She truly believed that this was all her fault that the Doctor was about to suffer cruelly. "Say hello, Buffy! Say hello, Gandalf!" The Master said cheerily. "Except he's not that old, but he's an alien with a much greater lifespan than you stunted little apes." Every human on the planet, reacted with horror, and Buffy fought harder against her chains. "But what if it showed? What if I suspend your capacity to regenerate?" He asked the Doctor, curiously. "All nine hundred years of your life, Doctor. What if we could see them?" The Master retunes his screwdriver and zaps the Doctor again. "Older and older and older. Down you go, Doctor. Down, down, down the years."

The Jones' and Jack watched with horror, while Buffy strained determinedly on her restraints.

"Stop it! Leave him alone!" She pleaded, angrily. "Doctor!"

"Oh, hush!" The Master scolded her, not stopping his torture. Finally, the convulsions end, and the Doctor is no longer sitting within view on the wheelchair.

"What have you done!?" Buffy yelled.

The Master ignored her. "Doctor." A tiny Gollum-like creature with large eyes, peers out from the collar of the otherwise empty brown pinstripe suit. Buffy is stunned.

"Doctor…" The Doctor turns and looks at her, sadly. The Master marches up to the television camera, no trace of amusement reflected on his face. He glares menacingly through the lens. This entire scene was an obvious threat.

"Received and understood, Miss Jones?" The Master asked rhetorically, before shutting off the broadcast. Buffy attempts to crawl across the floor to reach the Doctor, but is stopped short and is not even close to reach him.

"Doctor, are you okay?" She whispers, still crying. The Doctor smiles at her comfortingly.

"I'm alright, Buffy. Please, don't cry." The Doctor tells her. Buffy lowers her head.

"This is my fault!" She states. But the Doctor immediately becomes angry.

"You stop that right now! This is not your fault, don't ever say that again!" He replied, fiercely. Buffy glances up at him, not believing. The Master steps between them.

"Aww. Am I interrupting something?" He turns to a servant standing nearby, and clicks his fingers at them. "You! Take him and make him look descent." The servant obeyed without another word and scoops up the Doctor, disappearing from the room. The Master turns back to Buffy, sneering. "As for you, sweetheart. Since you like the tent so much, get in there and stay there." He ordered. Buffy threw him a look of contempt before crawling into the tent and folding herself into the foetal position.

Hope was hanging by a thread.

* * *

Minutes later, the tiny Doctor was brought back into the Flight Deck; newly dressed in a miniature version of his brown pinstriped suit and white converse. He is immediately imprisoned inside a birdcage and positioned next to his old tent. Buffy had fallen into an uneasy sleep, and the Doctor didn't have the heart to wake her. He glances about the room, taking in the extremely tense atmosphere. Lucy Saxon was still dressed in her glamourous red dress, but she did not look like the confident, almost smug young woman she had been when she first boarded the Valiant. Like the others, she had seen the Master's true colours and she was regretting every minute that she ever met her husband. The Doctor was approached by the Master who squatted in front of the Doctor's cage.

"Tomorrow, they launch." He explains to the Doctor who glowered at him. "We're opening up a rift in the Braccatolian space. They won't see us coming." He frowned a little. "It's kind of scary." He admitted.

"Then stop." The Doctor suggested. The Master continued speaking like the Doctor hadn't even spoken a word.

"Once the Empire is established, and there's a new Gallifrey in the heavens, maybe then it stops. The drumming; the never ending drumbeat." He then looked genuinely vulnerable. "Ever since I was a child. I looked into the vortex. That's when it chose me. The drumming, the call to war. Can't you hear it?" The Master asked the Doctor desperately. "Listen, it's there now. Right now. Tell me you can hear it, Doctor. Tell me!" The Doctor grasped the bars of the cage and pressed himself closer to it so he could be heard clearly by the Master.

"It's only you." He insisted. The Master frowned, disappointed.

"Good." A sphere materialises, floating over to the Master.

"Tomorrow, the war. Tomorrow we rise, never to fall." It promised, and the Master beamed triumphantly.

"You see? I'm doing it for them. You should be grateful. After all, you love them so very, very much." He told the Doctor who sighed and pulled away from the cage, and sank down to the floor. In her sleep, Buffy whimpered and the Doctor glanced over at her; wishing he could offer her some comfort.

"It's nearly time, Buffy. I need you to hold on; just hold on. We're nearly there." He whispers. "Be safe, Martha. We're counting on you."

The Master turned to the Doctor and decided to recount why he had chosen to conquer the Earth.

"I took Lucy to Utopia. A Time Lord and his human companion. I took her to see the stars." He turns to Lucy and adopts a caring tone when addressing her. "Isn't that right, sweetheart?" Lucy's eyes go a bit vacant as she recounts what she saw.

"Trillions of years into the future, to the end of the universe." The Master looks at the Doctor intently.

"Tell him what you saw." He insists. Lucy nods, paling a little.

"Dying. Everything dying. The whole of creation was falling apart, and I thought there's no point. No point to anything. Not ever." She sounded devastated. The Doctor looked disturbed, even more so when the Master turned and smirked triumphantly at him.

"And it's all your fault." The Master stated. "You should've seen it, Doctor. Furnaces burning. The last of humanity screaming at the dark." By this time, Buffy had woken up and crawled out of her tent to listen. She had been curious about what the humans at the end of the universe had discovered, and by the expression she could see on the Doctor's face, it wasn't promising. "All that human invention that sustained them across the eons. It all turned inwards. They cannibalised themselves." Buffy's eyes widened, a sphere floated nearby.

It started giggling childishly.

"We made ourselves so pretty." The Master chuckled indulgently.

"Regressing into children. But it didn't work. The universe was collapsing around them."

"That's horrible…" Buffy whispered, but the Master heard her and squatted nearby now addressing her as well as the Doctor in his explanation.

"My masterpiece. A living TARDIS, strong enough to hold in the paradox in place, allowing the past and the future to collide in infinite majesty." The Doctor was mystified.

"But you're changing history. Not just Earth, the entire universe."

"I'm a Time Lord. I have that right." The Master replied pompously.

"But even then, why come all this way just to destroy?" The Doctor questioned him. The sphere hovered near him to answer his question; the Doctor shrank away from it.

"We came backwards in time all to build a brand new empire lasting one hundred trillion years."

"With me as their master. Time Lord and humans combined. Haven't you always dreamt of that, Doctor?" The Master asked, curious about the Doctor's answer; but he didn't wait for a reply. He didn't require one. "Human race, greatest monsters of them all. Night, then." The Master puts his arm around Lucy, who looks at him with confusion as she puts her arm around him too and he leads her from the Flight Deck with the sphere following.

* * *

Both Buffy and the Doctor had not been asleep for long before the Master unexpectedly returned – dressed in a silk dressing gown – and looking like the cat that had caught the canary. He walks over to the birdcage and shakes it, causing the Doctor to jolt awake in alarm and look around in confusion; and he kicks Buffy's foot to bring her around.

"Guess what?" The Master had a sinister smirk on his face. Neither the Doctor nor Buffy replied because they knew the Master was only in here to brag about something that he had either done, seen, or learned about; and he knew that they would not like it at all. "Martha Jones has been spotted in London." Buffy and the Doctor wore matching terrified looks.

* * *

Meanwhile, Martha had indeed returned to England; to complete a secret mission given to her by the Doctor unbeknownst to everyone. When Martha had first set foot on English ground after being away for a year, she was greeted by a man called Tom Milligan, a fellow doctor specialising in paediatrics before the Master had taken over the world. He escorted her to a Professor Docherty, whom Martha had privately labelled as a suspicious character, to hit her up with some information about the Master. The three of them had witnessed the broadcast the Master had directed towards Martha specifically; and Martha's heart broke when she witnessed the Doctor being tortured by the Master, and the distressed cries coming from Buffy who had to watch it happen.

 _"Received and understood, Miss Jones?"_

Martha had believed that the Master's words were supposed to strike fear into her heart and make her too afraid to continue on with the plan that she and the Doctor had constructed that fateful day. Instead, it fuelled her determination. Together she, Milligan and Docherty managed to bring down one of the Toclafane and they discovered to their horror that the creatures were in fact humans from the future; thus explaining to Martha (and also the Doctor on board the Valiant) why the Master had cannibalised the TARDIS to create the paradox machine. The discovery lead to Professor Docherty imploring Martha to reveal the truth about why she was travelling the world. The rumour among the surviving humans on Earth was that Martha had been travelling the world to find a way to kill the Master.

"Just before I had escaped, the Doctor told me: The Doctor and the Master, they've been coming to Earth for years. And they've been watched. There's UNIT and Torchwood, all studying Time Lords in secret. And they've made this, the ultimate defence." Martha revealed a small case that contained a gun-like device that comprised of a squeeze trigger and four small cylinders along the top. Three vials of coloured liquid were also in amongst the weaponry.

Milligan disagreed.

"All you need to do is get close. I can shoot the Master dead with this." He held up the gun he was holding in his hands. Both Martha and Docherty eyed it nervously.

"Actually, you can put that down now, thank you very much." Docherty stated with annoyance.

Martha shook her head.

"The point is, it's not easy to kill a Time Lord. They can regenerate. Literally bring themselves back to life." Martha explained.

Docherty scoffed. "Ah, the Master's immortal. Wonderful."

Martha gave a secret smile, and packed away the gun except for the three vials which she held up.

"Except for this. Four chemicals, slotted into the gun. Inject him. Kills a Time Lord permanently." She stated, as Docherty and Milligan eyed the chemicals doubtfully.

"Four chemicals? But you've only got three." Milligan pointed out. Martha nodded.

"Still need the last one, because of the components of this gun were kept safe, scattered across the world, and I found them. San Diego, Beijing, Budapest and London." Martha explained that the last vial would be located at an old UNIT base in North London.

But in order to reach there, Martha required an escort.

* * *

At the same time that the Master had been informed that Martha had been spotted in London by one of his loyal followers, Milligan had smuggled her to one of the many slave quarters. Martha wasn't surprised to see that the place was full to bursting with surviving humans who had been forced into slave camps to build missiles. Milligan was immediately surrounded the second he was given access.

"Did you bring any food?" One desperate woman asked Milligan hopefully. He shook his head sadly.

"Couldn't get any, and I'm starving." He apologised. The woman visibly sagged with disappointment.

"All we've got is water." Martha was sympathetic.

"I'm sorry." She said, sincerely. Then one of the boys recognised her.

"Are you Martha Jones?"

"That's me." Martha responded, tiredly but kindly. The boy's eyes instantly brightened up with hope that everyone had long since thought had been taken away from them when the Master had taken control of their lives.

"Can you do it? Can you kill him? They said you can kill the Master, can you?" He asked eagerly. "Tell us you can do it. Please, tell us you can do it."

"Who is the Master?"

Martha was surprised to hear one woman ask. Clearly, not everybody was in the know about who the person who was responsible for their miserable lives was. The woman's question sparked a babble of voices that finally made Milligan intervene.

"Come on, just leave her alone. She's exhausted." Milligan insisted. But Martha placed a hand on his arm.

"It's fine. They want me to talk, and I will." She reassured him. Martha knew that it was only a matter of time before the Master eventually got word that she was in London and sent out a search party to bring her back to the Valiant to be taken care of permanently. Why not finish what she started? "I travelled across the world, from the ruins of New York to the fusion mills of China, right across the radiation pits of Europe." The entire crowd of slaves were instantly alert and gathered where they could to listen to whatever the famous Martha Jones was going to say. Martha smiled happily; the Doctor's plan was coming along nicely. "And everywhere I went, I saw people just like you, living as slaves. But if Martha Jones became a legend, then that's wrong. Because my name isn't important. There's someone else." Martha smiled proudly. "The man who sent me out there. The man who told me to walk the Earth. And his name is the Doctor."

Martha talked and talked for hours about him; how he saved so many lives without expecting gratitude and even accepted that she and the Doctor were never meant to be and let him go at the same moment.

"It's him! It's him!" A woman who was peeking through the mailbox sounded the alarm. "Oh my God, it's him! It's the Master. He's here." Martha was actually afraid. She had no idea how much the Master desperately wanted her captured. And clearly it was worth coming back down to Earth to apprehend her personally. The other slaves scoffed disbelievingly.

"But he never comes down to Earth. He never walks upon the ground." Martha gave them all weirded out looks. She sincerely hoped that the Doctor's plan came off, because these people were becoming very screwy. An old sack was thrown over her head.

"Hide her!"

Almost immediately, Martha was bundled up and hidden just as the Master's voice rang out like a bullhorn. He was accompanied by armed guards and some of the Toclafane. Milligan positions himself by the mailbox, his gun at the ready.

"Martha! Martha Jones. I can see you!" The Master calls out in a sing-song voice. "Out you come, little girl. Come and meet your master." There was silence. Nobody dared to make a move. The Master was a little disappointed by the lack of response. "Anybody? Nobody? No? Nothing?" He sighed with frustration and turns to his guards. "Positions." The guards scattered about the street, and raised their guns defensively. "I'll give the order unless you surrender. Ask yourself. What would the Doctor do?" Martha knew that it was time for the Doctor's plan to come to fruition. She immediately takes off her TARDIS key and silently tells Milligan to stand down, much to his shock and dismay. Martha steels herself and throws open the door, stepping out to meet the Master. "Oh, yes." The Master claps her sarcastically. "Oh, very well done. Good girl. He trained you well." Then the 'pleasant' smile dropped and he gestured for her bag. "Bag." Martha walks towards him. "No, stay there. Just throw it." Martha pulls the backpack off and throws it towards the Master, who immediately fires his screwdriver at it. Then aims it at Martha, whose eyes widen in fear. "Now, good companion, your work is done."

"NO!" Milligan runs at the Master, who turns the screwdriver onto him, killing him instantly.

Martha flinches as the Master laughs.

"However, I think that when you die, the Doctor should be witness. Plus, you're not gonna be alone." Martha knew what that meant; and she shook her head in protest. The Master glances over her head and grins. "Almost dawn, Martha, and planet Earth marches to war."

* * *

 **A/N: One more chapter before the Master gets put back into his box. Please review!**


	21. Promises

**I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy: the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson, and** _ **Buffy: the Vampire Slayer**_ **© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions.**

 **Cheers xx**

* * *

 **PROMISES**

" _Do you really want me... Do you really want me? Do you really want me dead or alive to torture for my sins?"  
 **~Thirty Seconds to Mars: 'Hurricane' (This is War [2009])**_

* * *

It only took a few minutes for the Master and his guards to 'escort' Martha Jones back on board the Valiant to await judgement and execution in front of millions of viewers all around the world. The impending death of the famous Martha Jones would be the biggest blow to them all; and the Master knew it. It would also potentially devastate the Doctor as well. But probably not as much as losing his beloved Buffy would take; as she was to be eliminated as well. The Master strolled carelessly through the doors to the Flight Deck.

"Citizens of Earth, rejoice and observe." He was followed closely by Martha who glanced around at the familiar faces of her parents, her sister, Jack and Buffy, whom the Master had had dragged from the tent and restrained. The Slayer was trying to break free, but a solid punch to the face quickly stopped her. Martha winced, and looked around for the Doctor. Her eyes widened when she saw him, tiny and creature-like, and trapped inside a birdcage. He beamed at her, proudly, and she smiled and nodded; both biding their time for the main event about to take place. Martha was placed in the centre of the room, within view of everybody and the Master turned to face her from the elevated podium. "Your teleport device, in case you thought I'd forgotten." He extended his hand, and Martha unwrapped the bracelet from her arm and tossed it him. "Bring her!" He instructed the guard holding Buffy, and the guard shoved Buffy towards Martha who caught and steadied her. Out the corner of Martha's eye, she noticed the Doctor react when he realised the Master's intentions and clenched the bars of the birdcage tightly, trying to reign in his anger. "And now, kneel. Both of you." Both Buffy and Martha obeyed silently. "Down below, the fleet is ready to launch. Two hundred thousand ships set to burn across the universe." The Master explains to his 'subjects'. "Are we ready?" He talks into a microphone.

"The fleet awaits your signal. Rejoice!" A man's voice answers from overhead speakers.

The Master nods.

"Three minutes to align the black hole converters. Counting down." A nearby clock starts to count down. Buffy notices Martha smirk, and frowns in confusion. "I never could resist a ticking clock." He tells Buffy and Martha, before speaking into the microphone again. "My children, are you ready?" Again, a chorus of child-like voices reply.

"We will fly and blaze and slice. We will fly and blaze and slice." They chant excitedly. Buffy glances at the Doctor and sees him wink at her, whilst maintaining a seemingly hopeless expression on his Gollum-like face. Her eyes widen when she realises the Doctor and Martha had had a plan all along and she smiles with relief.

"Get ready, Buffy." Martha whispers to her, and Buffy nods.

"At zero, to mark this day, the children Martha Jones and Buffy Summers, will die. My first blood." He turns to them, still kneeling and sneers. "Any last words? No? Such a disappointment, these two." He turns to the Doctor. "Days of old, Doctor, you had companions who could absorb the time vortex." Buffy winced, knowing he was referring somehow to Rose Tyler when she absorbed the time vortex to save the Doctor from being killed by the Dalek Emperor. A story he had told her once-upon-a-time, when she wanted to learn more about the one other person he had fallen for during his existence. "These two are useless." Buffy and Martha glared at the Master defiantly. "Bow your heads." They do so. "And so it falls to me, as Master of all, to establish from this day, a new order of Time Lords. From this day forward…" Martha laughs quietly, drawing the Master's attention. "What? What's so funny?" He demanded.

"A gun?" Martha stated incredulously.

"What about it?" The Master shrugged carelessly.

"A gun in four parts?" She continued. The Master looked impatient, and suddenly Buffy understood why Martha had laughed. She started laughing too.

"What is so funny?" The Master demanded. "Yes, there was a gun, and I destroyed it." Buffy laughed harder.

"Oh, God. You're such a moron." She gasped. Martha grinned at her, pleased that she had caught on.

"A gun in four parts scattered across the world? I mean, come on, did you really believe that?" She asked, flatly. The Master faltered.

"What do you mean?"

"As if I would ask her to kill." The Doctor finally piped up, grinning from ear to ear. The Master attempted to redeem himself.

"Oh well, it doesn't matter. I've got her exactly where I want her." He stated. Martha raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I have a fairly good idea why Buffy is kneeling beside me, but I knew what Professor Docherty would do." She explained. "The Resistance knew about her son. I told her about the gun, so she'd get me here at the right time." The Master sneered.

"But you're still going to die." He insisted.

"Yeah, bud. I think that ship has sailed." Buffy pointed out, getting to her feet and helping Martha to hers. Martha agreed.

"Don't you want to know what I was doing, travelling the world?" She asked. The Master and Buffy were curious.

"Tell me." He demanded rudely. Martha and the Doctor exchanged knowing glances with each other.

"I told a story, that's all. No weapons, just words. I did just what the Doctor said." She explained triumphantly. "I went across the continents all on my own. And everywhere I went, I found the people, and told them my story. I told them about the Doctor, and I told them to pass it on, to spread the word so that everyone would know about the Doctor."

The Master looked unimpressed.

"Faith and hope? Is that all?" Martha shook her head.

"No, because I gave them all an instruction, just as the Doctor said." Martha took a step forward, causing the Master to take one back. "I told them that if everyone thinks of one word, at one specific time…"

"Nothing will happen." The Master interrupted. "Is that your weapon? Prayer?" He scoffed. Martha wasn't deterred.

"Right across the world, one word, just one thought at one moment but with fifteen satellites." The sneer dropped from the Master's face.

"What?"

"The Archangel Network." Jack stated with a happy realisation, causing everyone around him to gasp excitedly when they realised that they had won. Martha nodded at him.

"A telepathic field binding the whole human race together, with all of them, every single person on Earth, thinking the same thing at the same time. And that word is Doctor." The countdown finishes and the Doctor and his cage start glowing.

The Master's eyes widen in horror.

"Stop it. No, no, no, no. You don't!" He cried out in fear.

"Doctor. Doctor." Jack chanted confidently.

"Doctor." Others took up the chant as well.

"Don't!" The Master screamed. The entire planet was chanting 'Doctor' as loudly and clearly as they could over the television monitors. Lucy smiles and closes her eyes.

"Doctor." She breathes.

"Doctor." Jack repeats. Martha and Buffy, clutching at each other in excitement, turn to each other and grin from ear to ear.

"Doctor!" They shouted enthusiastically. The Doctor has returned to his centegenarian form, and he stares at the Master sternly.

"I've had a whole year to tune myself into the psychic network and integrate with its matrices." He tells him. The Master glares, backing away from the Doctor.

"I order you to stop!" He orders, panicking. The Doctor doesn't stop, and the crowds only chant louder and faster. Overjoyed tears are streaming down Buffy, Martha and Jack's faces.

"The one thing you can't do. Stop them thinking." The Doctor is finally restored to his normal appearance. The anger on his face had disappeared, and a look of compassion had replaced it. "Tell me the human race is degenerate now, when they can do this." Martha breaks away from Buffy and rushes over to her parents and Tish and hug them with all her might.

"No!" The Master uses his laser screwdriver at the Doctor, but the energy field surrounding him is protecting him and bounces harmlessly off.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The Doctor tells him, as he floats over to the Master, who turns his attention towards Buffy, whose eyes widen.

"Then I'll kill her." The Doctor stretches his hand out and the screwdriver flies from the Master's hand. He looks at the Doctor with genuine fear. "You can't do this! You can't do it! It's not fair!" He pleads.

"And you know what happens now." The Doctor reminds him.

"No! No! No! No!" The Master backs away from the Doctor, almost tripping down the stairs and Buffy nearly feels sorry for him.

"You wouldn't listen."

"No!" The Master continues chanting.

"Because you know what I'm going to say." The Doctor lands on his two feet, and strides confidently over to the Master who has curled up into a ball in the corner of the room. The Doctor calmly puts his arms around the Master. "I forgive you." Buffy smiles. The Master's eyes widen in fear.

"My children." He whispers, and the Doctor immediately looks up sharply, remembering the billions of Toclafane still floating in the stratosphere, waiting for the Master's orders.

"Captain!" Jack looks over at the Doctor. "The paradox machine!" Jack doesn't waste a moment. He grabs a couple of retreating guards he knew were reluctantly following the Master.

"You men, with me!" They charge off. Buffy notices the Master fiddling around with something and realises that he has Jack's manipulator.

"Doctor!" She yells, grabbing his attention and points towards the Master.

"No!" The Doctor yells, grabbing the manipulator just as the Master activates it and teleports them away. Buffy curses, and turns for a nearby scanner. Her eyes widen at an unpleasant discovery.

"We've got all six billion spheres heading right for us!" She announces and Martha rushes over to see. A few seconds later, the ship starts to shake. Papers fly everywhere, and both Martha and Buffy get thrown around. Buffy is tossed into the waiting arms of the Doctor.

"Everybody get down! Time is reversing!" The Doctor announces and pulls Buffy to the ground, shielding her as they both grab onto something for dear life. Both of them grin at each other and laugh excitedly.

The Master is hanging onto some railings, Martha clutches onto her mother and Tish, with their father shielding all three of them protectively and the winds of time create havoc and panic on the ground, until the people, rockets and statues of the Master disappear as the timeline restores itself. The Doctor pulls himself to his feet and brings Buffy up with him. "The paradox is broken. We've reverted back, one year and one day. Two minutes past eight in the morning." The Doctor announces.

Buffy sighs with relief.

"This is UNIT Central. What's happened up there? We just saw the President assassinated!"

"It's just after the President was killed, but just before the spheres arrived. Everything back to normal; Planet Earth restored and none of it happened. The rockets, the terror. It never was." He explained.

"The year that never was." Buffy whispered sadly and the Doctor wraps an arm around her shoulders, looking solemn. Martha frowned worriedly.

"What about the spheres?"

"Trapped at the end of the universe." The Doctor confirmed. Francine frowned.

"But I can remember it." She stated. The Doctor nodded.

"We're at the eye of the storm. The only ones who'll ever know." Then he notices Clive over her shoulder and smiles. "Oh, hello. You must be Mister Jones. We haven't actually met." He greets him enthusiastically. The Master makes a run for it, but nearly collides with Jack who is coming in.

"Whoa, big fella! You don't want to miss the party." Jack tells him, before reaching out towards a nearby guard. "Cuffs!" He slaps them on and looks at the Doctor for suggestions. "So, what do we do with this one?" The Master is immediately the target of murderous glares.

"We kill him." Clive was quick to answer.

"We execute him." Tish agreed. The Doctor immediately rounds on them, his eyes narrowing in anger.

"No, that's not the solution." Francine aims a pistol at the Master.

"Oh, I think so. Because all those things, they still happened because of him. I saw them."

"Go on then, do it." The Master eggs her on. Buffy stands in front of the Master, shielding him and fixing her with a hard look. Francine was shocked.

"What are you doing? Stand aside." She demanded.

The Doctor's eyes widened.

"Buffy, don't you dare!" Buffy ignores him in favour of focusing on Martha's mum. She was astounded.

"How dare you! Why would you try to save him?!" Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not trying to save him. I'm trying to save you, and your family, and anybody else who even tries to be the hero." Buffy explained, as she walked over and took the pistol from her. "Killing for sake of killing is one thing, but killing for revenge is not something any of us is capable of. That is something my stint as the Slayer has told me." The Doctor's disapproving frown disappeared when he realised Buffy was trying to prove a point. "Say you did pull the trigger; killed the Master. Would you feel better, or would you feel worse? Would you be able to deal with the burden of being the one that struck him down for the rest of your life?"

Francine was silenced, realising that Buffy had a point. The Doctor walked over to her.

"Francine, you're better than him." He reminded her, before he hugs her and hands her over to Martha.

"You still haven't answered the question. What happens to me?" The Master demanded snidely. The Doctor turns towards him, still solemn faced.

"You're my responsibility from now on. The only Time Lord left in existence." He declared. Buffy looked at him in surprise. As did Jack and Martha.

"But you can't trust him." Jack pointed out. The Doctor nodded in agreement.

"No. The only safe place for him is the TARDIS."

The Master looked horrified.

"You mean you're just going to keep me?" The Doctor nodded.

"Mmm. If that's what I have to do." He stated confidently. "It's time to change. Maybe I've been wondering for too long. Now I've got someone to care for." Buffy looked a little offended. _And what am I? Chopped liver?_ Suddenly there is a gunshot, and everyone looks over to see Lucy Saxon holding a smoking gun. Buffy notices movement and turns in time to catch the Master; since she was the closest, and lowers him to the ground. The Doctor and Jack react accordingly. Jack cautiously approaches Lucy and takes the gun from her, and the Doctor goes over to help Buffy.

"It's okay. You're okay, I've got you. I've got you." Buffy reassures the Master, looking alarmed. She pulls her hand away from his body and her eyes widen at the amount of the Master's blood on her hand. She pales. "Oh my God… Doctor!" He rushes over to her side and sees the blood. Buffy immediately replaces her hand over the Master's bullet wound, increasing pressure and trying to stop the bleeding.

"Always the women." The Master grunts in irritation. First a blue bug-like alien who hero worshiped him, and now his human wife. Both wielding guns. The Doctor made sure he was comfortable.

"I didn't see her." He reassures him. The Master chuckles sardonically.

"Dying in your lover's arms. How poetic." The Doctor scoffed, and Buffy looks at him worriedly.

"You're not dying. Don't be stupid, it's only a bullet. Just regenerate."

Buffy's eyes widen when the Master suddenly smirks.

"No."

"You can't!" Buffy insisted, realising what the Master was intending on doing. Tears started welling up in the Doctor's eyes.

"It's one little bullet. Come on!" The Doctor urges him. The Master's smirk broadened.

"I guess you don't know me so well. I refuse." The Doctor wasn't ready to give up. When it came to death, he was a sore loser. He always took it personally.

"Regenerate. Just regenerate. Please. Please! Just regenerate. Come on." The Master almost pitied his old friend, and his eyes flicked over to a horrified Buffy, still pressing uselessly on his wound.

"And spend the rest of my life imprisoned with you?" He snorted weakly. "While I won't deny that the view would be breathtaking…" He indicated to Buffy. "I think I'll take my chances with the reaper."

"You've got to. Come on, it can't end like this. You and me, all the things we've done. Axons. Remember the Axons? And the Daleks. We're the only two left. There's no one else." The Doctor insisted, but the Master was unmoved. "Regenerate!" The Doctor yelled desperately. The Master's smirk melted away to a genuine smile.

"How about that. I win. Will it stop, Doctor? The drumming. Will it stop?" He whispered.

All eyes were focused upon the Doctor and Buffy attending to a dying Master, and all felt sorry for the Doctor; despite how much they hated the Master. Tears fell down Martha's cheeks as the Master slipped away. There was a stunned silence, as Buffy pulled her hand away from the Master. She lowered her head with the same type of defeat reflected in her eyes that Doctors had when they lost their patients. Buffy sat back, as the Doctor pulled the Master's body into his arms and started weeping copiously at the loss.

"No!" He snarled with anguish.

Buffy respectfully placed a hand on the Doctor's shoulder, squeezing it gently before letting go once again. Sometime later, a mournful Doctor was alone when he followed the Time Lord traditions, and burned the Master's body on a funeral pyre. He observed the smouldering flames for a moment, before he turned and walked away.

* * *

The next day; the Doctor, Jack, Martha and Buffy took the TARDIS to Roald Dahl Plass in Cardiff to drop Jack off at Torchwood. All four of them leant against a metal banister that fenced in the oval shaped open space and gave a wonderful view of the illuminated pillars. At the north end of the plass was the Water Tower, which Buffy and Martha were told by Jack was the secret entrance of Torchwood. Buffy leaned against the Doctor, linking arms with him to offer comfort, as the Time Lord was still smarting over losing his oldest friend and fellow Time Lord. As it was, the Doctor was now officially the Last of the Time Lords; a label he found hard to swallow. Martha observed the tourists walking around the plass; sightseeing, taking pictures or just generally moving through to get to their destination.

"Time was, every single one of these people knew your name. Now they've all forgotten you." Martha mused sadly. The Doctor didn't look concerned.

"Good." He replied, putting on a brave face. Jack turned to face the Doctor.

"Back to work." He announced. The Doctor looked a little sad.

"I really don't mind, you know." The Doctor told him, offering Jack the chance to travel around with him. Jack shook his head, smiling.

"I had plenty of time to think that past year – the year that never was – and I kept thinking about that team of mine. Like you said, Doctor, responsibility." Jack explained. The Doctor nodded.

"Defending the Earth. Can't argue with that." Buffy lets go of the Doctor's arm so that he could reach over and take Jack's hand; exposing the vortex manipulator on his wrist. Jack immediately started to protest.

"Hey, I need that!" The Doctor looked at him sternly.

"I can't have you walking around with a time travelling teleport. You could go anywhere, twice. The second time to apologise." The Doctor sonics the manipulator. Jack shrugs in defeat, then looks at his friend hopefully.

"And what about me? Can you fix that? Will I ever be able to die?"

The Doctor shakes his head grimly.

"Nothing I can do. You're an impossible thing, Jack." The Doctor replaces the sonic back in his pocket and re-takes Buffy's hand in his. The Slayer smiles happily. Jack chuckles.

"I've been called that before." He straightens up and salutes. "Sir. Mesdames." Buffy and Martha waved, while the Doctor gives the Torchwood leader a mock salute. Jack turns to go, but then stops. "But I keep wondering. What about aging? Because I can't die but I keep getting older." Buffy raises an eyebrow. "The odd little grey hair, you know? What happens if I live for a million years?" He questioned with mild concern.

Again, the Doctor shrugs.

"I really don't know." He replied honestly. Jack deflated a little, then grins.

"Okay, vanity. Sorry. Yeah, can't help it. Used to be a poster boy when I was a kid living on the Boeshane Peninsula. Tiny little place. I was the first one ever to be signed up for the Time Agency. They were so proud of me." The Doctor, Martha and Buffy looked impressed. "The Face of Boe, they called me. Hmmm." Now they looked stunned. "I'll see you." Jack heads off towards Torchwood's secret entrance. Buffy lets go of the Doctor's hand and jogs a little after him.

"Hey Jack!" The Time Agent turns and looks at Buffy inquiringly. "Don't be a stranger!" She calls. Jack grins flirtatiously back at the Slayer. "Wouldn't dream of it, honey." He winks and continues running. The Doctor and Martha walk up behind Buffy, still looking stunned.

"No way." The Doctor breathed.

"It can't be him." Martha agreed.

"No. Definitely not. No, no." The Doctor denied it. But Buffy laughed and turned to walk back to the TARDIS.

"Hey, weirder things have happened." She reminds them. The Doctor and Martha exchange looks before grinning and following her.

* * *

The Doctor and Buffy watch Francine, Martha, Clive and Tish inside Francine's house from across the street where the TARDIS is parked. Both exchange glances before going inside it. Buffy saunters over to the Pilot's seat and sits, leaning back and closing her eyes. She listens to the Doctor moving around the console; flicking switches, making adjustments and doing it all while in total silence.

"Hey." The Doctor looks up at her from the opposite side of the console. His eyes haunted. "Are you okay?" Buffy asks, quietly. The Doctor adopts a carefree personality change which worries Buffy, because he only did that when he really wasn't okay and didn't want her to worry.

"I'm always okay." He responds, smiling slightly. Buffy gets up from the seat and walks around the console towards him, noting that the Doctor's spare hand had been attached to the base of the console. She wraps her arms around his waist and leans her head against his chest, listening to the Doctor's double heartbeat. He automatically wraps his arms around her, slightly surprised by her gesture.

"It's okay if you're not, you know." She reminds him. Buffy feels the Doctor resting his chin on top of her head, listening to her words intently. "I won't tell anyone. It'll be our first little secret." She tells him. The Doctor hums before kissing the crown of her head.

"Thank you, Buffy." He whispers back. The door to the TARDIS opens and in steps Martha. Buffy and the Doctor immediately break apart and the Doctor puts on his 'carefree' personality.

"Right then, off we go. The open road. There is a burst of starfire right now over the coast of Meta Sigmafolio." Buffy scans Martha's blank face, and realises she's not here to continue the adventure with them; Martha was there to say goodbye.

"Doctor…" Buffy called out. But the Doctor was on a roll, distracted by the fun they could be potentially visiting.

"Oh, the sky is like oil on water. Fancy a look? Or back in time. We could, I don't know, Charles the Second? Henry the Eighth…"

"Doctor…" Buffy tried again.

"I know what about Agatha Christie? I'd love to meet Agatha Christie. I bet she's brilliant."

"Doctor!" Buffy raises her voice, and the Doctor looks over to her. She gestures at Martha and he turns and sees her expression. The cheerful expression fades away from his face.

"Okay." He looks sad, but accepts her decision. Martha smiles sadly.

"I just can't." She stated. The Doctor nodded.

"Yeah."

"I spent all these years training to be a doctor. Now I've got people to look after. They saw half the planet slaughtered and they're devastated. I can't leave them." Martha explained. The Doctor smiled proudly.

"Of course not. Thank you. Martha Jones, you saved the world." She grinned.

"Yes, I did. I spent a lot of time with you thinking I was second best, but you know what? I am good." She declared, before frowning with mild concern. "You going to be alright?" The Doctor nodded.

"Always. Yeah." He replied. "Besides, I've got Buffy." Martha nods, smiling brightly. Buffy comes over and hugs Martha who reciprocates tightly.

"You take care of him." She warns. Buffy grins. "Right then. Bye." Martha leaves, then seconds later comes back in, surprising Buffy and the Doctor. "Because the thing is, it's like my friend Vicky. She lived with this bloke, student housing, there were five of them all packed in, and this bloke was called Sean. And she loved him. She did. She completely adored him. Spent all day long talking about him." Martha said.

The Doctor looked a bit confused, but Buffy nodded; completely understanding.

"Is this going anywhere?" The Doctor asked, earning a slightly reproachful look from Buffy.

"Yes." Martha confirmed. The Doctor nodded and gestured for her to continue. "Because he never looked at her twice." The Doctor's eyes widened when he finally understood what Martha was getting at, and he instantly looked guilty but also unapologetic. Surprisingly, Martha didn't mind. "I mean, he liked her, but that was it. And she wasted years pining after him. Years of her life. Because while he was around, she never looked at anyone else. And I told her, I always said to her, time and time again, I said, get out. So this is me, getting out." Martha tosses her mobile phone at Buffy, who catches it and raises a questioning eyebrow at her.

"Keep that, because I'm not having you two disappear." Buffy turns the phone around in her hands and exchanges a look with the Doctor who shrugs. "If that rings, no **when** that rings, you'd better come running. Got it?" Martha ordered.

Buffy and the Doctor nodded.

"Got it." The Doctor replies.

"Crystal." Buffy responds with a smile. Martha turns and heads out of the TARDIS. She stops and looks at them both.

"I'll see you both again." Martha promises. She leaves and the TARDIS dematerialises. Buffy turns to the Doctor and gives a small smile. The Doctor's face pales.

"Don't tell me you want to leave too." He asks, suddenly fearful. Buffy giggles and kisses his cheek.

"No, you silly alien. I'm not going anywhere, I told you that." The Doctor instantly relaxes. "I just need to let Xander and Willow in on the adventures. Can we go pick them up?" The Doctor shrugged.

"I don't see why not." He keys in the coordinates for Sunnydale a couple of hours before he had originally picked her up for their current adventure. "Let's go get 'em!"

* * *

But back at the Master's funeral pyre, the Master's body is gone. But from the ashes, his signet ring tumbles free and lands on the grass. A woman with red manicured fingers picks it up.

A storm was approaching, and Buffy and the Doctor had better batten down the hatches.

* * *

 **A/N: Alright! Now it's time for Willow and Xander to get in on the adventures with the Doctor. Strengthen the friendship between Buffy and her friends. Stay tuned for the next chapter; Willow and Xander might be hanging around for a while.**

 **TTFN xx**


	22. Pit Stop In Sunnydale

**I don't own** _ **Doctor Who**_ **or** _ **Buffy: the Vampire Slayer.**_ **All I own is this story.**

 _ **Doctor Who**_ **© Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber and Donald Wilson, and** _ **Buffy: the Vampire Slayer**_ **© Joss Whedon.**

 **Please review constructively and responsibly. If this story isn't your particular brand of vodka, don't read. Allow others to read and form their own opinions.**

 **Cheers xx**

* * *

 **PIT STOP IN SUNNYDALE**

" _All around this chaos and madness. Can't help feeling nothing more than sadness. Only choice to face it the best I can."  
_ _ **~Cold Chisel: 'When The War Is Over' (Circus Animals [1982])**_

* * *

Willow and Xander were walking home, eating ice-cream cones. It was the dead of night, and the two friends were taking a short cut through one of Sunnydale's many cemeteries. Probably not the wisest move the two of them could've made; but Sunnydale had been practically void of the supernatural for nearly the entire summer. The only thing that came remotely close to being supernatural, was when they buried the Master's bones with their High School Librarian, Rupert Giles; who in actual fact was their best friend Buffy's watcher. The two teenagers come up to a stone wall at the edge of the cemetery.

"Okay hold on..." Willow was saying. They were in the middle of playing a game that involved guessing the name of any movie, using quotes. Charades with a pop culture twist.

"It's your turn." Xander pointed out, licking at his cone.

"Okay, um..." Willow racked her brains trying to find a good movie to quote from. " _'In the few hours that we had together, we loved a lifetimes worth.'_ "

Xander got the answer automatically.

" _Terminator_."

"Good. Right." Willow smiled. Now it was Xander's turn.

"Okay. Let's see... _'It's a madhouse! A m-'_ "

" _Planet of the Apes_." Willow interrupted. Xander gave her an exasperated look.

"Can I finish, please?" Willow rolled her eyes, gestured for him to continue his overly dramatic re-enactment of Charlton Heston's passionate cry of despair.

"Sorry. Go ahead."

" _'Madhouse!'_ " Willow waits until he's really done then:

" _Planet of the Apes_. Good. Me now. Um..."

Xander was slightly impatient. "Well?"

"I'm thinking." Willow replied. "Okay. _'Use the Force, Luke.'_ " Xander raised an eyebrow at the rather predictable movie Willow had volunteered.

"Do I really have to dignify that with a guess?" He asked as he gestured at her with his half-eaten ice-cream cone. Willow pulled a martyred look.

"I didn't think of anything. It's a dumb game anyway."

Xander immediately started to complain.

"You got something better to do? We played rock-paper-scissors long enough, okay? My hand cramped up." He raised his hand up so that they could both see its slightly claw-like appearance. Willow sniggered.

"Well, sure, if you're always scissors, of course your tendons are gonna stretch—"

"You know, I gotta say, this has really been the most boring summer ever." Xander interrupted Willow, and for once she didn't mind. In fact she agreed.

"Yeah, but on the plus side, no monsters or stuff." Willow takes a seat on the stone wall. Xander leans on it next to her, looking off towards the graveyard.

"I know, but I'm so restless! I'm actually glad school is starting again." Little did Xander know that this school year was going to turn out to be very life-changing, especially when the Doctor was involved; in both positive and negative ways. Willow gave him a knowing look, making a mental gamble that she knew what he was really thinking about.

"Yeah, and that has nothing to do with a certain girl that we both know that is a vampire slayer?" Xander made a bad attempt to hide the excitement on his face when Buffy was mentioned.

"Please. I'm so over her." _Yeah, right…_ Willow thought in amusement, particularly when Xander turned to her trying to look casual and failed miserably. "Did she, uh, say when she was getting back, about which I don't care?" Willow shrugged.

"I haven't heard from her. I mean, I got a couple of postcards after she went to L.A. and then, like, nothing." She said. Xander looked a little dejected.

"Yeah, I never heard … well, she's probably having fun with her dad."

"And you don't care." Willow guessed, trying to call him out. Xander caved, and Willow inwardly grinned with triumph, but outwardly maintained a blank face.

"Okay, so maybe there's some interest. I'm a man, I have certain desires. Certain needs…" Willow shuddered.

"I don't wanna know." Xander grinned, playfully.

"Don't you?" Willow gave him an annoyed look, but it doesn't last very long. The playful intimacy is becoming slightly less playful as she notices that Xander has come closer to her, and is smiling. Her heart skips a beat. Then Xander cracks a mischievous grin. "I got a movie for you." He dabs his cone at her, leaving ice cream on her nose. She gives him a wry look.

"Xander…" His grin broadened.

"Come on." He dabs the ice cream on her nose again, causing her to wrinkle it with slight disgust. "You're Amish, you won't fight back because you're Amish. I mock you with my ice cream cone, Amish guy…" Willow rolls her eyes.

" _Witness._ " She sighed, slightly annoyed. "My nose is cold." She tells him. The mischievous grin reappears on Xander's face.

"Let me get that." He makes as if to lick it. Willow stops him, giggling.

"Xander!" He looked deceptively innocent.

"What can I say? It makes your nose look tasty." He teased her, and daubs her nose with a napkin.

The playful atmosphere suddenly shifts into a more intimate one as she places her arm on his shoulder and they stare at each other tenderly. Both of them start leaning in towards each other, almost kissing; before they suddenly realise what they were about to do and separate. Xander's eyes stray slightly to Willow's left and cries out in horror pulling Willow towards him. Willow looked around with confusion, then screams when she sees a vampire leering at them. The vampire is on the other side of the wall Willow had been perched on, wearing a tux with dirt hanging on him that told the teenagers he was a newborn vampire. He vaults over the wall, swaggering over to them with a ravenous look on his face. Xander steps in front of Willow, bravely, even if he didn't feel brave.

"Willow, go!" He tells her to run, but Willow hesitates.

"Xander…" The vampire jumps Xander. But he steps back and slugs it in the face. The vampire isn't fazed and immediately grabs Xander by the neck, pulling him in for the kill. Willow desperately searches around for a weapon, before giving up and grabbing the vampire's arm trying to pull the vampire off of Xander. Then two things happen simultaneously.

First, a hand clamps down on the vampire's shoulder. Pulling him back and spinning him around into the path of a lightning fast fist. The punch is followed by a roundhouse kick and another. The vampire finally gets time enough to lunge at his assailant; but is easily flipped onto the ground. And secondly, while the vampire was occupied; Willow felt another hand grab her wrist and she jumped and squealed, turning to defend herself and found herself staring into the calm and cheerful face of the Doctor.

"Doctor?" Willow exclaimed, drawing the attention of Xander who had glanced over when Willow had screamed.

"Hallo! Lovely to see you two again!" The Doctor chirped brightly, offering a hand to Xander who took it and was tugged to his feet by the impossibly strong Time Lord. All three turned towards Willow and Xander's saviour who turned and gave them both a bright smile.

"Hi guys." It was Buffy. The vampire rears up behind her and without looking back she slams her foot into his chest, sending him flying backwards into a broken tree branch; exploding into dust the moment he's impaled upon it. The Doctor winces, still not entirely used to or comfortable seeing Buffy's vocation up close and personal. Shocked, Willow and Xander stare at Buffy mystified. "Miss me?"

"Buffy!" Willow shouts as she and Xander immediately rush to hug Buffy, both excited to see her again. Xander even more so.

"Hey, Will." Buffy grinned, happy to see her friends after her ordeal with the Master and the 'year that never was'. Xander comes back in for a second hug which Buffy accepts. Xander mutters into her ear.

"Man, your timing really doesn't suck."

"Actually, it's the Doctor's timing." Buffy gestured towards her boyfriend still standing off to the side, with his hands in the pockets of his trench coat, looking modest. "He programmed the TARDIS to lock onto one of you, so we could find you quickly." Buffy explained.

"Really?" Willow and Xander glance at the Doctor with both amazement and curiosity.

"It's nothing." The Doctor shrugged. Willow turned back to Buffy looking slightly confused.

"When did you get back?"

"It's kinda complicated. Dad drove me down, and the Doctor arrived to take me on a trip in the TARDIS." She gave a half-truth, not wanting to reveal that Buffy had already re-lived this reunion once before, only without the Doctor in attendance. "We only just came back and decided to go for a walk. Figured you two losers would be getting into some kind of trouble." Buffy explained, turning to the Doctor with a grin.

Willow looked a little sheepish.

"I think we had the upper hand. In a subtle way." She stated, weakly. The Doctor frowned with a disapproval.

"Do either of you have a cross?" He asked, sternly. When both of them shook their heads, Buffy frowned.

"That's very sloppy, guys. You're lucky we came along when we did." Xander waded in to defend the situation.

"Well, it's been a slow summer. That was the first vampire we've seen since you killed the Master." Both Buffy and the Doctor winced, but neither Willow nor Xander noticed.

"It's like they knew you were coming back. That's very unnerving." The Doctor mused, looking a little uncomfortable.

"What about you? How was your summer? Did you slay anything?" Xander asked, as all four of them started walking again; with Xander keeping close to Buffy and Willow trying to keep up. The Doctor walked closely behind with a smile on his face as he observed his girlfriend simultaneously catching up, and basking in the comfort of her best friends' presence. Considering what she had just been through, it pleased him that she was happier.

"In L.A. it was strictly R&R. I hung out, partied… shopping was also a major theme. But when I travelled with the Doctor just now, I …" Buffy hesitated, remembering all the executions that she had been forced to perform for the Master before she recovered making it look like she had been calculating in her head before responding. "I dusted one vampire in London." Buffy eventually said. She didn't need to look over her shoulder to know that the Doctor's face had hardened subtly when he also remembered the year that never was.

Xander looked appalled.

"London?! The Doctor took you to London? You could've done that with an airplane." He scoffed.

"Xander!" Willow rebuked him, gesturing over at the Doctor who recovered in time to shrug carelessly, knowing that Buffy hadn't finished her explanation yet.

"Not exactly, Xand." Buffy looked sheepish. "Yeah, the Doctor took me to London; but London in 2007. The future." Her best friends dropped their mouths open in shock, and turned towards the Doctor, who looked a little put out.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten already what I showed and told you?" He whined. It took only a minute before Willow suddenly remembered.

"Oh right! I forgot that the Doctor travels through time." Willow exclaimed before turning and looking at Buffy excitedly.

"What was the future like, Buffy?" The Doctor stepped over and faced both of them, with a charming smile on his face.

"I'd be honoured to show you, if you'd like?" Willow's face lit up, and Xander looked slightly dubious.

"What right now?" He asked. The Doctor shook his head.

"Not right now. The TARDIS needs a bit of maintenance. 24 hours should do it, which means we can travel through time and space right after school tomorrow. How does that sound?" He asks them. Willow immediately squealed with joy and jumped at the Doctor hugging him tightly. "I'll take that as a yes?" The Doctor said, stumbling a little to maintain his hold on Willow and not drop her on her ass. "What about you, Xander?" He asked the still slightly surprised boy. Xander hesitated, before he saw the pouting expression on Willow's face before he finally caved.

"Beam me up, Scotty!" He quoted, earning looks from Buffy, Willow and the Doctor. Buffy looked unamused, Willow wry and the Doctor an odd combination of surprised and amused. "Pretend I didn't say that." He begged.

"Didn't hear a thing." The Doctor replied, winking and clapping a thoroughly embarrassed Xander on the shoulder. The teenager quickly changed the topic.

"Well, you haven't lost your touch. That vampire…" Buffy looked sheepish.

"I did kind of wail on him, didn't I?"

"I really like your hair!" Xander complimented Buffy, who flushed a little and rolled her eyes.

"So, how did you guys fare? Did you have any fun without me?" Buffy said, falling back to stand next to the Doctor and casually taking his hand in hers. Xander noticed the gesture and took the subtle hint, begrudgingly.

"No." He replied, flatly.

"Yes." Willow responded, truthfully. Both Buffy and the Doctor looked at them with surprise.

"Do you want a moment to agree on an answer?" Buffy teased.

"Summer was a little yawn worthy. Our biggest excitement was burying the Master." Xander explained and Buffy and the Doctor stopped walking and glanced at each other.

"That's right, you missed it! Right out by that tree." Willow pointed towards a tree deep in the graveyard, surrounded by numerous crosses. "Giles buried the bones and we poured holy water and chanted. We got to wear robes!" Willow babbled excitedly.

"Very intense. You shoulda been." Xander stated.

"Have you seen Giles?" Willow asked, curiously. Buffy looked surprised by the question.

"Why would I do that? I'll see him at school." She replied, noncommittally. Xander and Willow smiled happily at Buffy.

"Man, I'm really glad you're back." Xander stated, sincerely. Buffy smiled back.

"Yeah." Buffy then realised that the Doctor was missing and glanced about, looking for him. "Me too. Where'd the Doctor go?" She questioned. Willow and Xander glanced around too and Willow spotted him standing over near the Master's grave, and was scanning it with his screwdriver.

"What's he doing over there?" Willow pointed. Buffy turned and sighed exasperatedly.

"Doctor…" She vaults over the stone wall and walks calmly over to him, followed by a curious Willow and Xander. "What's up?" She asked tiredly.

"Nothing." He said innocently, but looked at Buffy meaningfully; translating to Buffy that he would tell her later. "I was just observing your handiwork. Very well done." He complimented Willow and Xander. "Right, shall we go. Don't want to come across more beasties, do we?" Willow and Xander immediately jogged after the Doctor, having had enough excitement for one night. Buffy took a final, disgusted glance at the grave before she hugged herself against the cooling wind and hurried after them.

* * *

After telling Willow and Xander where to meet him after school let out the next day, the two teenagers headed off home. Buffy and the Doctor retreated back inside the TARDIS where the Doctor was going to take Buffy home and hide the TARDIS in the backyard overnight while he fixed her up. However, there was one thing that was nagging at the Slayer.

"Okay, Doctor. Spill. What were you really doing at the Master's grave?" Buffy demanded as she followed him down the steps to the lower levels of the TARDIS, and along the corridor to what looked like a laboratory. The Doctor breezed in, but Buffy paused in the doorway and groaned; praying that Willow never found this room. She and Xander would never get her out of there.

"Doing some calculations." The Doctor replied distractedly. Buffy strolled up to the black Formica lab table the Doctor was working at.

"What calculations?" Buffy peered at the chemicals the Doctor was measuring, and pouring into a large beaker and mixing together.

"I'm creating a solution to increase the decomposition of the Master's bones in his grave." The Doctor explained, hastily. Buffy looked even more confused.

"Why?"

"What's with the questions?" He asked, sounding a bit annoyed. Buffy just looked at him.

"Why are you _avoiding_ the question?" She retorted. The Doctor paused, giving Buffy the opportunity to push the point. "Doctor, I saw you scanning the Master's gravesite with your sonic screwdriver and now you're creating something as a result. I think I'm allowed to be curious about what you're doing. Especially if it has anything to do with the vamp that killed me." Buffy insisted. The Doctor sighed, and looked at Buffy before caving.

"The moment Willow explained that she, Xander and Giles had buried the Master's bone beneath that tree. I almost immediately sensed a change in history. While you were saying goodbye to them, I checked the TARDIS to make sure and did not like what I saw." Buffy opened her mouth to ask the Doctor interrupted. "No, I can't tell you because it's a part of your immediate future. I'm just stopping it in its tracks, to avoid a nasty outcome. You've already suffered enough." Buffy couldn't decide whether or not to be flattered or annoyed that the Doctor was cheating by not revealing her future to her.

"Whatever. If it means less slaying, that's good enough for me." She said, as she watched the Doctor pour his concoction into a large vial and plugged it with a cork.

"Good answer." The Doctor replied before taking her hand and leading her back down the corridor, up to the main console and out the doors.

"Are we heading back to the cemetery?" Buffy questioned.

"Uh huh." The Doctor replied, taking off in a sprint and Buffy matched his speed easily finding herself staring at the Doctor with a cold, calculating expression on his face as he stared at the grave with a condemnation. Without uttering another word, the Doctor opened the vial and upended the contents into the soil; which immediately started to bubble, smoke and _stink_. Buffy gagged and had to turn away from the putrid smell, but eventually whatever the Doctor had intended on doing was done and he turned and walked away from the grave with an extremely confused Slayer following.

"Okay, I lied. Tell me what you saw and why you did that, because this is just too weird." Buffy demanded. The Doctor stopped and turned towards Buffy, looking reluctant. "Doctor, there has to be a reason why you're protecting me or you wouldn't have changed what's gonna happen." The Doctor avoided eye contact. "Talk to me." He sighed.

"There was a way to resurrect the Master, and I just made it impossible. And at the same time I saved you from almost losing your friends when you suddenly had a drastic personality change, which was triggered whenever you heard the Master mentioned. I say almost, because you eventually reconcile with Willow and Xander, but it would take a while before they completely trusted you." Buffy was stunned, and incredibly grateful. It made her love him all the more. She walked over to him and wrapped him up in a hug.

"Thank you." Buffy said sincerely.

"You're welcome." The Doctor mumbled, a little embarrassed. "We better get you home. You've got school in the morning, and I've got to repair the TARDIS if we want to go on more adventures." He reminded her.

Buffy nodded, and they headed back for the TARDIS. The second she said goodnight to the Doctor and went upstairs to her room, she undressed quickly and practically collapsed into bed. The year that never was, had certainly taken a lot out of her.

She slept long and hard.

* * *

While Buffy, Willow and Xander were at school, the Doctor used this time to check and re-check the TARDIS for anything the Master might've messed around with when he had cannibalised her and turned her into a Paradox machine. So far nothing unusual had turned up, and the Doctor was satisfied that they could travel through the time vortex without coming across trouble along the way.

Checking the time, the Doctor saw that he only had a couple of hours left before his three companions would arrive, ready for their next adventure. So he decided to go for a little bit of exploring. He knew that if he was late coming back, Buffy had her own TARDIS key to let her inside. _Frequent flyer's privileges._ He thought happily. However, the TARDIS wasn't psychic for nothing, and knew how troubled her thief and the Chosen One were; particularly after what they had just suffered, and both were as bad as each other and stubborn to boot, so the sentient machine set a plan in motion that would help them overcome what was plaguing them and learn something from it.

* * *

"Buffy, where has the Doctor taken you on your adventures?" Willow asked, excited that soon she, Buffy and Xander would be travelling to places that none of them could probably imagine in their wildest dreams.

Buffy looked pained at the excited expression on her best friend's face. It was clear that Willow believed that this was going to be a safe experience. Something that Buffy had previously thought too when she first started traveling with the Doctor, and received a rude awakening when she learnt the truth. Time travel was dangerous and unpredictable, and not even the Doctor could tell if they would be safe wherever they ended up.

"Everywhere. There's a whole new world out there, just waiting to be explored." Buffy replied vaguely, disappointing Willow when she realised this. They reached the yellow house on Revello Drive, and walked briskly up the path to the front door. Joyce wasn't home yet; not that Buffy was expecting her mother any time soon. She hoped the Doctor would be able to return them well before she was expected to arrive.

Xander gave her a look.

"Can you be vaguer, Buff?" He asked.

Buffy smirked.

"If you'd like." She retorted, letting them inside her house and quickly making for the stairs. "Wait here for a sec." Buffy dashed upstairs and darted into her room, retrieving Martha's phone which she had kept in her bedside table. She had forgotten to give it to the Doctor for safe keeping when they came back to Sunnydale. It would raise too many questions with her mom if she happened to come across it when she straightened up in here.

Buffy packed a spare change of clothes in her backpack, just in case wherever the Doctor had planned to take them happened to be messy. She had told Willow and Xander to do the same, having learnt the hard way when she didn't.

"Buffy! Hurry up!" Xander called. Buffy rolled her eyes and made her way back down. She gestured for them to follow her to the TARDIS outside in the backyard and knocked. There was no answer, except for the TARDIS wheezing in reply. Buffy nodded.

"The TARDIS says the Doctor went for a walk. He'll be back soon." She explained to her curious friends. Buffy produced her key from the chain around her neck and let herself in. The interior still shocked Willow and Xander, even though they had already seen it before. Buffy glanced about cautiously. "Careful guys. The TARDIS was messed around with just recently, so just don't touch anything." She instructed.

"What do you mean 'messed around with'?" Willow asked. Buffy walked over to the Pilot's seat and sat down heavily on it, dumping her bag beside her.

"It's a long story, guys and I don't really want to revisit it. It was too painful." She admitted.

"That doesn't sound good." Willow stated, looking concerned.

"It wasn't one of the better adventures the Doctor took Martha and me on." Buffy confirmed. At the mention of Martha, Xander immediately perked up.

"Speaking of, where is she?" He asked. Buffy offered a bittersweet smile.

"Martha went home. She decided that life on the TARDIS wasn't for her and wanted to continue her normal life. Whatever that is." Buffy explained. "Our last adventure really shook us up." Willow bit her bottom lip, looking guilty that she had brought up the topic, and Xander looked disappointed. Buffy smiled at them reassuringly; more so at Willow.

"Don't stress, guys. It was just bad luck, the Doctor's not going to risk it on your first time out. He'll make sure it's fun!"

"You bet I will!" The Doctor boomed from the doorway, as he peeled off his trench coat and tossed it on one of the coral-like supports holding up the console room. "Now where would you like to go first? The past or the future?" He dashed up to the console and started flicking a few switches as Buffy watched him in amusement. Willow and Xander were speechless, both unsure what to pick.

"Surprise us." Buffy answered for them. The Doctor grinned.

"That can be arranged." He flicked the handbrake and immediately the TARDIS started lurching violently.

"Is it supposed to be doing that?" Xander asked worriedly as he grabbed onto the nearest surface. Willow was clinging onto the console, listening to the TARDIS wheeze and groan.

"Yeah. You get used to it." Buffy reassured him. Suddenly, the TARDIS gave a very violent shudder before calming and setting itself to idle. The Doctor immediately frowned and grabbed at the monitor to discover the cause.

"What's wrong?" Willow asked. The Doctor looked concerned.

"I'm not quite sure." Suddenly, the sound of a loud air horn blares and the TARDIS lurches violently again, throwing them all to the ground. TARDIS debris rains down on top of them, half burying them. Coughing, the Doctor recovers first and gets to his feet, dusting himself down. "Is everyone alright? Buffy? Willow? Xander? Answer me!" He darts about and locates Buffy and Willow sprawled on the ground.

"Peachy with a side of keen." Buffy quipped, taking the Doctor's offered hand as he pulls both her and Willow to their feet. Willow looked shaken, but otherwise unharmed. "What the hell just happened?" She demanded. Xander groaned, as he sat up rubbing the back of his head.

"Did anybody get the number of the bus that hit us?" He asked, sardonically. Willow glanced around the room, then froze when she saw the cause. Her eyes widened.

"I don't think it was a bus that hit us, Xand." Willow responded. Buffy looked where Willow was staring and cursed.

"You gotta be kidding me." A luxury liner had somehow collided with the TARDIS and the bow was poking through the wall. The Doctor gaped at the ship in astonishment.

"What!?" He exclaimed, incredulously. A ship's bell sounds as Xander wades his way through the debris and comes across a lifebelt. Curiously, he grabs ahold of it and flips it over. All the blood drains from his face.

"Please tell me this is a joke." He begged. The Doctor comes over to him and glances down at the name and back up at the ship still poking through the TARDIS. His eyes widen as well.

"What?" He repeats, with dread.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, guys! Please review constructively and thoughtfully. The next chapter will be up momentarily.**

 **Also, FYI: if this is your first time reading this chapter, please disregard this message. For readers who have already read this, I have had a change of heart with the ending of the chapter and decided to go with something different. Sorry for any inconvenience. Please enjoy any future chapters. 😊**

 **TTFN :)**


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